


The Things That Haunt Us

by DarknessBound



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Anal, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Blow Jobs, Bottom Castiel/Top Dean Winchester, Broken Engagement, Castiel and Dean Winchester Need to Use Their Words, Castiel and Dean Winchester in Love, Castiel/Dean Winchester First Kiss, Castiel/Dean Winchester Mutual Pining, Dean Winchester Loves Pie, Friends to Lovers, Ghosts, Haunted Houses, M/M, Michael is a Little Shit, Nerdiness, Poker, Protective Dean Winchester, Requited Love, The Ghostfacers (Supernatural), Voyeurism, Wedding Planning, idiots to lovers, sort of crack, thigh fucking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:21:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 56,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25263022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarknessBound/pseuds/DarknessBound
Summary: While attending his best friend’s bachelor party in Vegas, Dean plays a backroom game of poker and comes out the proud owner of a random house in Scotland. He has no idea what the hell he’s going to do with it, but when Cas calls off the wedding at the last minute, taking him clear across the pond to check it out seems like a great idea - until they actually get there./Or, the one where Dean and Cas have to learn to navigate their feelings for each other while also trying to figure out how to successfully get rid of a ghost.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Castiel/Michael (Supernatural)
Comments: 198
Kudos: 304
Collections: The Destiel Fan Survey Favs Collection





	1. This Is Gospel

**Author's Note:**

> This started out as an idea for a one-shot where an AU!Destiel tried hilarious and stupid ways to get rid of a ghost, and ended up being… well, you’ll see.

“Really? Do we have to do this _every_ week?” Cas shut the refrigerator door and pulled Michael closer to him. “You know Thursday’s are movie nights.” 

Michael let out a breath through his nose and kissed his forehead. “Yes, of course. You and… _Dean…_ waste your evenings watching fantasy nonsense, how could I forget?” 

It had been happening every week for the entire two years he and Michael had been together, and nearly every single time, Michael had tried in some way or another to get him to cancel. “Why do you say his name like that? _‘Dean’,_ like it’s some kind of a cuss word.” Michael didn’t have a good answer and Cas was in no mood to start a fight, so he leaned in to kiss him gently. “We can move them to another night now that your residency is over, and then I can go with you on Thursdays to… what was it again?” 

“Dinner, Castiel. I wanted to take you to dinner, but apparently your time with Dean is more important to you.” Michael pulled back and shrugged on his jacket, honestly not sure why he ever bothered to try - he never won. 

Cas winced, he’d been trying to guess what movie Dean was going to bring this time and hadn’t really been paying attention. “Michael…”

He eyed Cas with the makings of a scowl and fixed his collar. “I think I’ve been incredibly understanding, all things considered. What with your history, and everything.”

_There is no history, because Dean could never love me the way that I’ve always loved him._ Cas stepped closer, trying again to alleviate the tension by lining their bodies up. “I’m with you, Michael. Nothing has ever happened between me and Dean, nothing will ever happen… you’re worried for nothing.” 

Michael stared at him with an expression Castiel couldn’t pinpoint. He wanted to believe nothing was going on, but he couldn’t. Dean was late to everything in the world but he was _never_ late to fucking movie night. Michael wasn’t stupid. Not to mention the fact that Dean flat out admitted his love for Cas the night he met that immature grunt, and then had the nerve to punch him. “Look me in the eyes and tell me that you would be with me if Dean walked in here, confessing his love. Tell me you would choose me.” Before Cas even spoke, he saw his hesitation. “That’s what I thought.” He shrugged out of Cas’ arms and headed towards the door.

“Michael, wait! That’s a ridiculous question and you know it, that’s not fair. Please don’t leave like this, where are you even going?” It was ridiculous because it was true, every word, but it was also a moot point because it would never happen. Cas extended his arm out and let it drop slowly, realizing that somehow, this had gotten wildly out of his control. 

“Why do you even care?” Michael was getting angry despite trying his best to keep his cool. There were few things in life that annoyed him more than Castiel’s infatuation with that oaf. “Yo-”

_Knock knock._

“Great. Speak of the fucking macho devil.” He rolled his eyes and turned away from Cas again, pulling the door open forcefully.

Dean looked at him with a frown, he could instantly tell they were fighting. “Easy there, tiger.”

Cas wrapped his arms around himself and stared at the counter. "Come in, Dean. Michael was just leaving."

“Course he was.” Dean clasped his shoulder. “Drive safe, doctor.” He brushed past Michael without a look back. Michael balled his fists and took a step forward but decided it wasn’t worth it. _None of this is worth it_. He turned and left without a word.

Dean scoffed and pulled Cas in for a hug. “Sup with that asshat?”

As much as he hated himself for it, he melted into Dean's embrace. "He's not an asshat, Dean, he's just..." But how could he begin to describe what had just happened without telling Dean far too much? "Can we not talk about him right now? Tell me what movie you brought. My guess for this week is _Top Gun.”_

“Nope.” Dean popped the ‘p’ at the end. “You get three hints. The year, 1985. There are a ton of epic mentions in Family Guy. And lastly, a car crashes into a doo doo truck.” Dean grinned and pulled away, causing Cas to blindly reach out for the second time that night - but he covered by grabbing something off the counter and turning to put it away. 

Cas grinned to himself, he recognized _Back to the Future_ immediately, but there was something way too adorable about the way Dean got excited about movies to give it away so soon. “Hmm… I don’t know. Is that one of the Indiana Jones movies?” He controlled his facial expression into something innocent and curious before he turned around to face Dean. 

“Doo doo truck, Cas! Come on. ‘I have to tell you about the future!’” Dean stared at Cas, trying to see if he was fucking with him.

It was a testament to his will that Cas managed to keep a straight face. "Do they have doo doo trucks in Endgame? Is this a Marvel thing?"

Dean felt completely betrayed and held a hand over his heart. “You’re fucking with me! Nope!” He turned to walk away and then turned back again. “1.21 GIGAWATTS, Cas! 1.21!” Dean walked into the kitchen and then poked his head back out. “WHY DON’T YOU MAKE LIKE A TREE AND GET OUTTA HERE?” He didn’t mean to yell, but Cas _had_ to be fucking with him.

The grin split Cas’ face whether he liked it or not, and the gig was up. “Great Scott! I’ll make some popcorn, go put it in.”

“Son of a _bitch_ you were fucking with me!” Dean walked back over and poked Cas in his ribs, knowing he was ticklish.

He swatted Dean’s hand away and laughed, squirming out of his reach even though all he wanted to do was move closer. “What can I say? You’re easy to mess with.”

_“You’re_ easy to mess with.” Dean shook his head and walked back to the kitchen and pulled out two beers, making himself at home. “You wanna talk about _that_ at all,” he motioned towards the door, “or just eat, drink and watch some time travel?”

Cas' face fell as he remembered the fight, and how spot-on Michael really was. He'd been in love with Dean for as long as he could remember, and it was nights like this that reminded him why. He hoped the fight would mask the true reason behind why he suddenly looked like someone had strangled his guinea pig, but Dean had always known him a little too well so he grabbed the extra beer and tried to cover it up. "He'll be fine, he's just had a long week. He had four back-to-back surgeries and had just gotten off a long shift... he said he wanted to take me to dinner."

“He’s tired, so he wanted to go out? Makes sense,” Dean said sarcastically and opened the beer. “Not.” 

He put the popcorn bag in the microwave and frowned at it as it started to spin, not having a believable defense for that. "He doesn't like my cooking, he never has. I think he just wanted to eat and go to sleep. Honestly, I have no idea where he ended up going... he never did tell me."

Dean frowned. Michael never fucking appreciated Cas, and it made Dean’s skin crawl. Douchebag didn’t deserve him; he wouldn’t even be in the picture if Dean had grown some balls years ago and kissed Cas like he’d wanted to. But he didn’t, and then Cas met _this_ dude, and Dean had to just pretend he didn’t fucking love his best friend. “Your cooking is awesome, the hell is he talking about?” He’d always been a garbage disposal, but he really did like Cas’ cooking. 

Even that small of a compliment worked its way into Cas' bones and made him feel better. Dean always had a knack for doing that, and maybe that was one of the reasons he could never give him up - no matter who asked him to. "I don't want to talk about Michael anymore. He's probably just stressed about the wedding, he's usually not this bad."

Dean gagged at the mention of the damn wedding. _No big deal, I’ll just be the friend-zoned best man that’s in love with the groom._ Cas completely missed that thanks to the beeping of the microwave. He pulled the steaming bag of popcorn out and tried to open it too soon, wincing a little when it burned the pads of his fingers. 

“Damnit. You’d think I’d learn to be more patient.” He motioned to the couch after sucking on the tip of his thumb. “Ready?” 

Dean could feel how flustered Cas was from the fight with Michael, and hated that he managed to fuck up his mood almost every single week. He walked over and got the movie ready, sitting closer to Cas than to the edge of the couch. “Ready,” Dean confirmed as he reached in to grab some popcorn and offered Cas a wide smile.

Cas tried to stop himself from looking at Dean's lips, he really did, but that was an impossibility. The best he could manage was to pull his gaze away quickly and focus on the television. "Run for it, Marty."

“Movie’s kinda creepy right? I mean, if I went back in time and saw my dad up in a tree being a peeping Tom, I’d kick his ass.”

He chuckled quietly, leaning in to nudge Dean with his elbow. "You'd take any excuse to kick John's ass, and you know it. But just think, if you had a Delorean, you could do it _repeatedly.”_

Dean grinned. “That would be awesome.” He popped some popcorn into his mouth and turned back towards the tv. Cas’ body was still flush against his and he couldn’t focus. Dean had never hesitated when it came to making the first move with anyone but Cas. Why did Cas make him so damn nervous? Was it because he was very much out of Dean’s league... hell out of _everyone’s_ league? Or was it because he was his best friend in the entire world and Dean would gladly stay friendzoned for life if it meant he could still have Cas as a friend?

They stayed like that for most of the movie, both unwilling to move any closer or any farther apart. But when Michael opened the door, Cas sprang to his feet so quickly the popcorn kernels spilled all over the floor. He wasn’t doing a damn thing wrong and he knew that, the couch wasn’t that big and it wasn’t like they really had anywhere else to sit - he hadn’t touched Dean more than strictly necessary or done anything untoward, so why did he feel like he’d just gotten caught cheating? “You’re back,” Cas said lamely. 

Dean didn’t like how jumpy Cas was because of Michael. _Is he hurting him or somethin’?_ Dean stood up to watch their encounter, prepared to step in if necessary. 

“Yes, I live here. Is that alright, _fiancé?”_ Michael rolled his eyes and took off his jacket. “Did I interrupt?”

"Just the end of the movie, would you like to watch it with us...?" Cas' voice was hopeful, but what he was really hoping for was that Michael would just say no and go to bed. Michael's pet name reminded him that he wouldn't see Dean again until his bachelor party, and maybe some small, stupid part of him hoped that something would change before then.

“Really? Sure. What else do I have going on, right? Not like I need sleep.” Michael walked over and plopped on the couch. “Press play.” 

Dean frowned and stared at him. “What’s your problem, Michael?”

Castiel shifted on his feet as Michael turned a razor-sharp gaze on Dean. "That's ‘Dr. Shurley’ to you, Winchester. You don't need to stay, I'm sure you're capable of finding the door on your own... probably." He smirked, he normally wasn't one to shove his credentials down people's throats, but there was something incredibly satisfying about reminding both of them that Dean was... well, _beneath_ him. 

"That's enough, Michael," Cas said quietly as he stepped between them. "Dean's a guest here, and he's my best friend. Please don't talk to him like that."

“Nah, it’s cool Cas. PhD over here wants to feel big. Let ‘em.” He shrugged and sat down on the couch with a grunt. “Let’s finish our movie.” Acting like Michael didn’t bother him was harder than it used to be. He wanted to punch him in his stupid dumb face, _again,_ so badly that his jaw tightened as he stared at the screen.

The only problem now was that Cas had never felt less like watching a movie. The two men he loved hated each other, and he truly didn't understand it. He'd never given Michael a real reason to be jealous of Dean, and what was Dean's deal? In this case, it made sense... Michael was being an assbutt, but their mutual disdain for each other started long before that. He busied himself cleaning up the spilled popcorn as Dean hit play again and kept his eyes down as he made his way to the kitchen, hoping to hell that things would get better after the wedding. 

He wasn't sure he could take it if they didn't.

~~~~

With the wedding only three weeks away, Cas was a ball of nerves. He knew it was normal to get cold feet, but his were _freezing._ It just seemed like such a big step, and even though he loved Michael, he found himself Googling whether or not emotional infidelity was a thing. As it turned out, it was absolutely a thing, however, he didn’t really consider his situation to be that. If the feelings were mutual it might have been different, but what was he supposed to do? Spend the rest of his life alone because part of him would always carry a torch for someone that didn’t love him back? That didn’t seem right, or fair… and when he stepped back to look at the situation objectively, he really did love Michael, too. 

He decided that the best course of action was to try and do something to make Michael’s life a little easier. Being a general surgeon was far less basic than the name suggested and he knew Michael spent a majority of his time making life-altering decisions, so the least he could do was make a few decisions of his own. They’d failed to hire a photographer, and that was something that shouldn’t be _too_ difficult, so he ordered delivery from Michael’s favorite restaurant and then sat down at his laptop to do some research. It took way longer than he’d anticipated to find someone that not only had the vintage style he was looking for but also an opening so soon, but he lucked out and made the call to set it in stone. 

The doorbell rang and Cas made his way over to retrieve the food, and saw Michael’s car pulling into the driveway. His stomach did an uncomfortable flip as he paid the driver and tracked his soon-to-be husband as he straightened his tie and made his way toward the door. 

He walked up and kissed Cas’ cheek. “What’s this?” Michael smiled, things had been tense lately but Cas had always been a thoughtful partner. “I’m sorry about Thursday, let’s have a good weekend.” He rubbed Cas’ back.

“You don’t need to apologize, I know you’ve been stressed out.” Cas leaned into the touch and then curled against him right there in the doorway. “Things will calm down soon and then we can get back to normal... not to mention, we’ve got our honeymoon to look forward to.”

Michael sighed, leading Cas inside. “Let’s hope I can get the days off.” His phone vibrated in his pocket, but he made no move to check it - whatever it was could wait another couple of minutes.

Cas pulled back, frowning at him and trying not to outright pout. "I thought you put that request in months ago?"

Knowing exactly how to deflect, he leaned in and kissed Cas. “You’re adorable when you pout. I’ll make it work, honey.”

He melted a little and helped Michael take his coat off before beginning to divvy up the food. "I trust you. But you should know, I'm looking forward to having you to myself for a week, I'll boycott the board if they don't approve your time off. Not to mention... you need a break."

Michael smiled and went to sit at the dining table. “I know, I'll let them know. Thanks for dinner. I hoped you weren’t still upset at me, it’s just... he’s so infuriating.” He fucking hated Dean, and honestly proposed in the first place as a ‘fuck you’ to him. He knew Dean was in love with Cas, but now he couldn’t have him and the thought made Michael smile.

"Funny, he says the same about you." Cas set the plate down in front of Michael and draped himself over his shoulders, kissing the base of his neck. "But he's my best man, and I fully expect you both to be on your best behavior."

“Whatever, talk to that low life about it.” He sighed, “sorry. I’ll be respectful.” Michael didn’t feel like he should be the one that had to be the bigger man, _Dean_ should. He was the one getting in the way. 

Cas deflated and pulled back, grabbing his own food and sitting down at the table across from him. “Dean isn’t a low-life. He owns his own business and is one of the best human beings I’ve ever met... which you’d know, if you ever bothered to actually get to know him.” Maybe this wasn’t the time for Cas to pick that fight, but it hurt him to hear anyone talking about Dean like that - especially when Dean wasn’t there to defend himself.

“Here we go. How about we just don’t talk about that overgrown child, just one night, Cas. Please.” Michael was so fucking sick of Dean and everything about him. _Is this how our lives will be?_

He nodded weakly, picking at the dish he couldn't even pronounce. "Of course, Michael. My apologies." _But he's not an overgrown child, he's passionate and funny and... shit. Maybe this is the problem._

“Thank you.” Michael sighed and reached for Cas’ hand. “Did you get the cake changed? I don’t understand why you told them pie to begin with, but we need cake.”

Cas nearly flinched away but held steady. "I ordered a cake, yes, but there will still be pie. I don't prefer cake, you know this." Dean had made a point years ago to rectify that little error in judgment, and he'd never looked back. And maybe he was unwilling to budge simple _because_ of Dean.

“Okay, pie is fine. But people always cut a cake, I know you want some unique wedding, but some things are just tradition,” Michael nodded and went back to his food.

Staying silent was easier for Cas than trying to placate Michael anymore. He knew Michael’s intentions were good, and it _wasn’t_ normal to have pie instead of cake… but why did that concession feel like bullshit? 

~~~~

Dean hadn’t heard from Cas for a few days, and it had his teeth on edge. He didn’t know why; they had gone days without talking before, but he was about to actually _lose_ Cas... forever. He imagined after the wedding Cas would just slowly pull away until all they had were memories. He put a hand on his stomach, because that thought made him completely nauseous. 

He completely missed whatever the hell Benny was saying, and hoped his nod and fake laugh were enough. Benny was the only one who knew Dean still had feelings for Cas. He was able to lie to others, but never Benny.

"You with me, brotha?" Benny nudged him, seeing the turmoil pretty clearly in his friend's body language. "This about a certain date I'm not allowed to bring up?"

“That sounds a lot like bringing it up.” Dean stood up and walked around his office. Between Sam and Benny, he hardly had any work to do lately, and he was starting to feel like that was on purpose.

Benny sighed and drummed his fingers on the doorframe behind him. “It’s botherin’ you, and I’ve done my best to ignore it but you’re runnin’ out of time. Now, I know you don’t wanna hear this, but maybe you oughta consider tellin’ Cas to find another best man. Might not be worth puttin’ yourself through all that right now.”

“What? I would never do that to him. I’ll be fine, open bar.” Dean saluted and pulled out his phone. _Why hadn’t Cas texted?_ He started to consider texting him first, but what the hell would he say? “Look, I don’t care how shitty it makes me feel. I’d stand next Cas no matter who he marries. No one deserves him, me of all people, but I’d be damned if I’m not there for him every chance I can be.”

"If you say so, brotha. Glad to hear about the open bar, though. Gonna need to knock a few back to sit through it." Benny knew Dean meant what he said, yet something about the entire situation didn't sit right with him. But Dean was as stubborn as they came, he could be bleeding out on the side of the road and still tell whoever came to save him that he didn't need the help. "I'm gonna get back to it, the cement ain't gonna lay itself."

“Sure isn’t.” Dean nodded and went to sit at his desk. After faking like he was working for thirty minutes, he finally texted Cas.

**Dean: You think you would have read that letter about your future from Marty? Even if you knew it could fuck up the future?**

Cas side-eyed his phone when Dean’s text tone sounded and stopped typing mid-sentence. One of the nice things about being a writer was that no one was breathing down your neck and telling you how fast to go, and if he was being honest, he was stuck anyway. He read the text and seriously considered it, as he did all of the random questions Dean threw his way. 

**Castiel: Yes. I’d like to say I wouldn’t, but I know I would. Especially right now. Wedding planning has me ready to call off the whole damn thing.**

Dean smiled down at his phone and after typing and backspacing four responses to that, he settled on something he hoped would help relieve some of Cas’ stress instead of adding to it. 

**Dean: Anything your best man can help with? I can do all the pie tasting, don’t bother yourself with that stuff ;)**

He felt like this was much better than a - _Good, fuck that guy_ \- text.

Cas grinned to himself as he spun in his office chair. _There are some other things you can taste... shit. No. Bad._ He groaned and tilted his head toward the ceiling. _Why am I like this?_

Try as he might, his brain couldn’t formulate a response to that that wasn’t dirty. Very dirty. 

So, he changed the subject, wincing after he hit send from the awkward shift. 

**Castiel: Whose idea was Vegas, anyway?**

Dean huffed a laugh. _Why did he change the subject? Did Michael tell him he didn’t want us going tasting together?_

**Dean: First of all, you’re not getting out of this pie thing. Second of all, YOURS. Kinda mine. But your idea too.**

Cas pulled his lip between his teeth and then set his phone face down. He’d made a hasty decision to go to Vegas, simply because he had no idea what else to do and he knew that having a bachelor party of _some_ sort was going to be the only way he could spend some last minute time with Dean before the wedding. Now that it was just a few days away, he was wishing he’d have picked something quieter like a weekend in the mountains. _Michael would have never allowed it._ **_I_ ** _would have never allowed it... Dean is your only groomsman, it would have been hard to sell it when it would have been tantamount to a romantic weekend getaway._ As it was, he’d invited a few of his friends along to Vegas despite the fact that they wouldn’t be included in the wedding party, so at least they’d have a buffer. 

He hastily picked up his phone, remembering suddenly that he hadn’t responded to Dean. 

**Castiel: Fine. Pie tasting is at 2pm today, and I make no apologies for whatever happens with the whipped cream.**

Dean’s mind flooded with whipped cream possibilities and he had to physically slap the thoughts away. It had been months since he caved and thought of Cas while jacking off, he had been good. But that urge was prickling up his damn spine and making his dick wake up in a haste. _Goddammit!_

**Dean: See you there... just us?**

_Please say yes... please say yes…_

**Castiel: yes, Michael’s busy today. Just like every other day.**

He refused to ask himself why Dean wanted to know. If he didn’t, he could pretend it was because Dean valued their alone time together just as much as he did... but if he really thought about it, it was likely just because Dean didn’t want to deal with Michael.

**Dean: Awesome! It’s a date :)**

Dean felt much lighter after talking to Cas. He didn’t know why Cas hadn’t reached out, but he was probably just stressed. At least he still wanted to spend one-on-one time together; Dean imagined they wouldn’t have these dates forever.

And now Cas was stressed out all over again. It was hard enough to convince himself to go through with the wedding without adding the dangerous combination of Dean, pie and whipped cream. He groaned as he pictured Dean’s entire body covered in the stuff - not that after twelve years of friendship, he’d ever even seen him without a shirt on. For some reason he’d never understand, Dean always wore at least three layers... but, at least it gave his imagination a workout. 

Cas texted back a confirmation, wishing from that stupid, selfish part of him that it really _was_ a date.


	2. (F**k a) Silver Lining

Dean waited out front with a grin.  _ Fucking pie! The only awesome thing about this god forsaken wedding. _ He always imagined he’d have wedding pie… at least Cas was going to, even if Dean couldn’t. 

His smile faded and he stared at the ground.  _ How the fuck did we get here? I’ve loved Cas for ten years. This should be  _ **_our_ ** _ wedding. _

After spending an eternity trying to find a suitable outfit to go sample pies in, Cas finally made his way over. The first thing he noticed was that Dean looked way too sad for a man that was about to ingest one of his favorite foods, and he worried something happened. He approached Dean and placed a hand on his arm, savoring the warmth he found there. “Are you alright?”

Dean didn’t even see Cas walking over, but instantly plastered an award-winning smile on. “Of course. It’s pie time.” 

He pursed his lips, not buying that for a second... but he wasn’t about to ruin this by pressing Dean if he didn’t want to talk. They made their way inside when Dean held the door open and Cas spotted their baker, Patience. He smiled widely at her and she came over to greet them. 

“It’s nice to see you again, Castiel! I see you brought company this time,” she winked at Dean and Cas flushed. 

“Yes, choosing the cake was one thing, but the wedding pie was far too important to pick alone.”

Patience pulled out a couple of menus and gestured for them to take a seat. “Well, it’s wonderful to meet you. Now, how did you two meet?” 

Cas was completely oblivious to the fact that Patience thought Dean was Michael, or that such a train of thought was even possible. He smiled at Dean, thinking back to when they met. “We were in high school, actually. He punched someone in the face for calling me gay. We’ve been inseparable since.”

Dean sat up straighter. “Damn right, I did. I’d do it again, too, even though I’m 29 now and would probably go to jail. Don’t think your  _ fiancé _ would appreciate it, though.” He glanced at Patience with a flirty smile. “So, Patience, I take it you have a lot of  _ patience _ with picky pie eaters? Because I’m about to be your worst nightmare, sweetheart.”

She eyed Dean and leaned forward on the counter, menus completely forgotten. “You don’t look much like a nightmare.” 

Cas cleared his throat, his brain finally catching up with what was going on. “Patience, this is Dean. My best friend. Michael couldn’t make it today.” His chest tightened at the flirting, but it wasn’t something he was unused to. All it did was remind him that they were there to prepare for Cas’ wedding… nothing else. 

Dean had tilted his head and prepared to respond to that nightmare comment but Cas snapped him out of it. He was here for Cas, not to get his dick wet. “Right. Back to pie. We’re gonna need cherry, peach, apple, dutch apple and a chocolate for the weirdos in attendance.” Dean was all business, and even cracked his neck. “Swear, I was born for this.”

The actual tasting was decidedly  _ less _ full of whipped cream than Cas had hoped, and he was more or less just there for show as Patience walked Dean through the various pies she’d created. He’d settled on the cherry and the dutch apple, and Cas simply confirmed the order and the other details such as the number of guests.

Dean was very thorough and took his time between each and every bite, making sure the pies were absolutely perfect for Cas. He also wouldn’t see him again until Vegas and he just wasn’t ready to say goodbye, so maybe he was stalling. “Can I have all the extra pie we didn’t eat? I’d like to give it another test in the morning tomorrow.”

Patience looked to Cas for confirmation - she charged a fee, but Cas didn’t care. It was Michael’s money anyway, so he told her they’d purchase the rest of the pies. She boxed them up and when they made it back outside, Cas hesitated by the door. 

“It’s surreal how close it’s getting.”

“Surreal... yeah.”  _ If only it  _ **_wasn’t_ ** _ real.  _ “So I’ll see you in Vegas? I can’t believe you’re making me go on a plane, Cas.” Dean ran a hand down his face. “I coulda drove.”

Cas’ heart leapt into his chest. “Do you want to? It’s not too late to change the arrangements...”  _ It probably is, but I don’t care. I’ll eat the cost of the tickets if it means spending more time with him before Michael uses our marriage as an excuse to cut me off from him. _

“Really? I’ll pay the whole friggin drive, Cas.” Maybe that sounded pathetic, but Dean hated planes.

“You don’t need to pay the entire time, but yes. We can drive. Figure out what time we’ll need to leave and let me know?” Cas tilted his head and licked his bottom lip, trying not to focus too much on how breathtakingly gorgeous Dean was when he was like this.

“Yup. You got it! On all of it, don’t stress about another thing.” He exhaled in relief. “Keeping these boots on the ground. Fuck that plane. Woo! I feel so much better. Thank you, Cas. Thank you.” Dean pulled him in for a quick hug and then remembered something random. “Wait, did you say something about cake? Thought we were doing all pies?”

Cas couldn’t ignore the fact that he was still mostly in Dean’s arms,  _ or _ the fact that Dean had said ‘we’. He fisted his hands in the back of Dean’s jacket in some subconscious attempt to hold him there. “Oh. Michael insisted we serve cake as well... he... wasn’t thrilled about all of the detours I took from tradition.”

“Tradition? Who the hell makes those rules? Your wedding ‘traditions’ should be whatever the hell you want it to be, Cas. I don’t know what you see in that guy, man.”  _ You deserve the whole fucking world.  _ Dean hated how much Michael tried to mute who Cas truly was. If he didn’t love Cas for exactly who he was, he didn’t fucking love him at all. His grip tightened as he became angrier by the second.  _ Should have punched that asshat more than once! _

He could feel Dean freaking out, and didn’t know what else to do other than sink back into an actual hug. “Hey. Thank you, Dean. For being here with me, for offering to drive to Vegas, for supporting me. Thank you.”

Dean cleared his throat and tightened around him to rub his arm. “Always, Cas. Fucking... always. No matter what’s going on, I’m there.” He didn’t want to let go, Cas smelled so...  _ Cas, _ it made Dean weak in the knees. After stealing a smell of his hair, Dean pulled away and ruffled it. “He gonna make you comb your hair? Cause if so, I’m boycotting.” He grinned and motioned for Cas to walk. “Let’s go find your car, I know you forgot where it is.”

“I did, yes.” Cas lamented the loss of contact and not for the first time, considered calling off the entire wedding just so he never had to give this up. Even if  _ this  _ was all he’d ever get. 

They wandered around the parking lot until Dean spotted Cas’ car. After he got in, he rolled his window down and yelled out to Dean with a grin, “Thank you for not fucking my baker!”

“Don’t count me out yet.” Dean winked, not meaning it in the slightest. He had no intentions on fucking her, or anyone else for that matter. They weren’t who he wanted.

Cas put every last ounce of resolve he had into chuckling quietly instead of letting his disappointment show, because that wouldn’t be fair to Dean. 

He couldn’t have his cake - or pie - and eat it, too. 

~~~~

_ Friggin Sammy! Asshat is only here to keep me in line, he could have easily flown with Charlie. _ “Let’s go, bean pole. Gotta get this road on the show.”

Sam shook his head with a scoff. “Don’t you mean show on the road? Are you sure you’re okay to drive?” He slid into the passenger seat, knowing damn well if he didn’t, Dean and Cas would forget he was even there. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Dean, he just had some suspicions that he would  _ never _ bring up. 

“Okay Mr. Fancy Executive.” Dean grinned and started up the car and plopped in his Asia cassette tape, knowing Sam hated them. “Let’s go get the groom and hit the road. Come on Sammy, sing it with me, you know you want to. Heeeat of the moment.”

“It’s  _ Sam, _ and I hate this song. Turn it off.” He knew better than to touch Dean’s radio, so he sat back and crossed his arms as they drove toward Cas’ house.

They pulled up and Dean held the horn with absolutely no regard for Cas’ stupid fancy neighbors. “Castiel! Get your ass out here, pronto!!”

Cas heard the horn and Dean’s muffled voice, but wasn’t at all prepared for the events that were about to be set in motion. Once he got in that car, it was going to be non-stop until the wedding. 

He fidgeted for a moment until Dean beeped again, then forced himself to drag his suitcase out the door and lock it behind him. One deep breath later, he turned around with a smile on his face that threatened to disappear the second he saw Sam.  _ Shit. _

Dean was just as disappointed in his damn brother for ruining their last hoorah. But he decided it was best. Benny had been pushing him to say how he was feeling and who knew how he would get after some whiskey was in his belly. “What did I tell you about combing your hair?” Dean called out and Sam reached over to pinch his inner thigh. “Sonofabitch!” He pushed Sam and they started an immature slapping fight in the front seat.

“If it’s going to be like this the whole drive, I can still catch my flight…” Cas joked as he settled in the back seat. 

“No, no. It’s fine.” Sam heaved Dean off of him and fixed his mane of hair. “My brother is just a child, that’s all.” 

_ “You’re _ a friggin child.” Dean turned up the music and started singing again, directly at Sam. If he was going to insist on being right here, Dean was going to make it one hell of a ride. “We’re gonna have a good time,” he grinned, and started driving. 

Sam just shook his head and lowered the music. “So, Cas. You ready?” Dean slapped his hand but didn’t put the music back up.

Unsure how to answer that, Cas ducked down to mess with his shoes. “Um... yes. I think so. They say you’re never really prepared for these things, so I don’t think I’m too far off course.”

“You’re the most prepared guy I know, Cas.” Dean’s brows furrowed slightly.  _ Was that hesitation? Does Cas truly want this? _ He couldn’t stop his mind from going there. “How’s the Doc handling all of it? Is he having a bachelor party too?”

“No, he said they’re foolish and beneath him... or something of the sort. Not to mention, he still hasn’t even gotten the time off for our honeymoon, there was no way he was going to take off extra time for a bachelor party.” Cas made a mental note to ask Michael again soon if the request had been approved, but since he hadn’t told Michael he was driving instead of flying, he didn’t want to start a conversation right now.

“Beneath him? Dude’s high horse must be exhausted.” Dean shook his head and gripped the steering wheel, ignoring the feeling of Sam’s eyes on him.

Cas frowned, staring at the back of the seat. For as much as he hated it when Michael said things like that about Dean, he wasn’t a fan of it when Dean did it, either. “He’s just... different. He was raised differently than we were, it’s not a ‘high horse’ so much as it is a lack of exposure.”

Dean scoffed. “He put his nose up at  _ pie.” _ He was fully prepared for a full on argument before he stopped himself. This was the last thing Cas needed. “You’re right, I’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize, Dean.” Cas looked out the window at the houses flying by and breathed out slowly through his nose. One way or another, getting married before he found a way to make Michael and Dean see the good in each other would prove to be a mistake - but after two years of trying, what else could he do?

After a few hours of driving and random car concerts, they pulled into a diner for some food. Dean was hungry and no one liked it when he was hungry. “Need a burger, stat.”

Sam scoffed and shoved Dean before getting out of the car. “What you need is a salad, and about a year straight strapped to a treadmill. You're going to have a heart attack by the time you hit 30.”

“Still got one good year left then.” Dean shrugged. He worked out every day... not that he told anyone. They got out of the car and Dean lifted his shirt, slapping his firm stomach. “Bring it Samsquash!”

That was the most skin he’d seen from Dean in years, and Cas ducked inside the diner as quickly as he could before he got caught staring - or something even worse. 

_ Just a few more days, and I’ll be a married man. _ But as he watched Dean laugh and tease Sam as they sat down to eat, he wasn’t sure how much that was going to matter. 

~~~~

Pulling into Vegas at 3 am was eerie. For a city that never slept, the strip was dead and the few roaming around were beyond blitzed. Definitely Dean’s kinda place. Maybe he’d just say ‘fuck it’ and move here after Cas got married... nah, he couldn’t. That was just the exhaustion of driving for over a day to get here clouding his judgement. Sam and Cas were both peacefully sleeping as he pulled into the Mandalay Bay parking garage and finally brought the car to a stop. He took a moment to wipe the sleepy haze off of his face before turning the radio up full blast to wake up his road trip buddies. “Rise and shine!”

Sam jerked so hard he smacked his head off Baby's roof, yet Cas didn't move a muscle. He was still sleeping soundly as Sam grumbled and got out of the car to grab their bags, complaining about Dean being a 'jerk'.

Dean lowered the music and took an opportunity to stare at Cas. “Aww, look at the little angel.” He reached back and shook him lightly. “Cas, we’re here.”

He grumpily opened one eye and fixed on Dean. "I was having a good dream. Screw you for waking me up." In fact, that'd been exactly what was happening in the dream... Dean was screwing him. He sat up, hoping his jeans did a better job of hiding the evidence of his dream than he feared, and was pleased to see that his boner wasn't really noticeable. "Okay, okay. I'm up."

“Ask nicer next time, sweetheart.” Dean winked and climbed out of the car, but leaned back in. “M’sorry. I shouldn’t joke like that anymore.” He stood up before Cas could respond.  _ Why... just... go to sleep idiot! _

Dean knew that particular pet name made him melt, and it felt good to hear it directed toward him instead of his baker - even if it wasn’t real. Cas was still exactly groggy enough to actually ask nicer and to say hell with the consequences, and the words were nearly out of his mouth - but Dean’s shift in demeanor had put Cas’ mind back where it belonged. “Right. Let’s go check in, I need to see about finishing that dream.”  _ Since it will never happen in real life. _

Dean almost asked what it was about, but knew he shouldn’t. It was probably about Michael anyway and he definitely didn’t want to hear about that. They made their way up and Dean checked them in, sad that Cas wasn’t sharing a room with him but again, he was stuck with friggin  _ Sam.  _

_ This is for the best. _ They walked Cas to his room first and Dean stood in the doorway. “Well, get some sleep. Enjoy that dream and I’ll see you in a few hours. We’re right across the hall.” He knocked on the door frame, “night, Cas.”

Dean walked away before he tried to stay, and Sam had already chosen his bed. “Let’s get our four hours.”

~~~~

That dream never did continue, and instead, Cas had back-to-back nightmares about the wedding. He woke up feeling anxious and alone, which were two things that never sat very well with him. It was obscenely early in the morning, but between the nap he’d taken to the car and the bad dreams, there was no way he’d be able to fall back asleep so he dragged himself into the shower. 

  
_ What am I even doing here? Vegas? Me? Really? I have no business being here. Hell, I have no business getting married, either.  _ He let the hot water run down his back and tilted his head against the wall.  _ Maybe I should just run away.  _

But despite his physique, running had never been something he’d been particularly fond of, and he wasn’t about to start now. He loved Michael, he knew he did… it was just stress.  _ That’s all this is. Everyone goes through it. I’ll be fine. _

He shut the water off and wrapped a towel around his waist, barely even drying off before walking out into the main room to locate the coffee pot. 

Sam woke up and hoped the coffee would wake Dean, but he was dead to the world. For someone who claimed to only need four hours, he sure as hell didn’t seem like he’d be moving anytime soon. He poured some coffee, took a photo of Dean, and sent it to Cas. 

**Sam: Morning Cas. Want to come have coffee and draw dicks on Dean’s face?**

Cas got dressed slowly and then checked his phone, and his breath caught in his throat. He wanted so badly to wake up next to Dean it was almost painful, and so despite every instinct telling him otherwise - he made his way over to their room and knocked with a silly, stupid plan in mind. 

When Sam opened the door, he held his finger to his lips to silence Cas. That wasn’t a problem, as Cas needed to be quiet as long as possible in order to get himself into bed with Dean before he woke up.  _ Just once, even if it’s not real. I want him to wake up next to me... just once. _

But as luck would have it, he wasn’t two feet into the room before he saw Dean starting to move. He grunted and peeked at them with one eye. He couldn’t form words yet, but those dicks looked completely dressed already and Dean just wasn’t ready to deal, so he hid his head under his pillow with another grunt.

“Is he always like this in the morning?” Cas’ chest tightened with something a lot like need as he looked to Sam, who nodded profusely. 

“Absolutely yeah, he’s like this all the time. Why do you think I needed your help? Get his ass outta that bed, I’m gonna go see if there’s breakfast anywhere.” Okay, so maybe Sam was going to give them one last  _ sober  _ opportunity to work their shit out, but if they didn’t manage to do it by the time he got back, he’d fall back into the big-little brother role and make sure the wedding went off as scheduled. He waved and headed out of the room as Cas watched helplessly. 

“Um... Dean?”

Dean grunted once more and slid the pillow off. “Mornin’ sunshine.” He rolled on his back and patted the bed next to him, still half asleep.

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Cas slid into bed next to Dean and attempted to control the thundering of his heart. "I think I prefer 'sweetheart,' but I'll take what I can get."

Dean chuckled and kicked off the messy blankets. He had to piss, but didn’t want to leave the bed, not with Cas in it. In all their years of friendship, they’ve never done such a small, intimate thing before and something about it felt so... right. But Dean just chalked that up to being in love with the guy. “Okay sweetheart, what’s on the menu for today?” He wiped down his face and adjusted his morning wood, maybe making a little more of a show out of it than he should.

Cas flushed when he realized what Dean was doing.  _ Unfortunately not you. _ “Honestly, I have no idea. I hadn’t... thought that far... ahead.” He swallowed, absolutely unable to concentrate on anything normal between Dean’s sleepy voice and the closest look at his erection that Cas had ever gotten.

“Food. Alcohol. Dude strippers. Poker. All we need, Cas.” He sat up and looked around, they were in friggin Vegas and he was sleeping. The hell was wrong with him?

“I beg to differ, but I’ll defer to your expertise here. I’m a little bit out of my depth.” He hated the fact that Dean was getting up already, but Sam would likely be back any minute and the last thing he needed were questions that he didn’t have answers to. “Should we start with the dude strippers or maybe go for pancakes first?”

“Pancakes, then I have somewhere I wanna take you. But it’s a surprise.” Dean got up and went to wash up. He never told Cas he picked this casino for the aquarium, and he hoped he didn’t know it existed.

Sam was back by the time Dean came back out, and Cas admitted defeat. However, he was insanely curious about the surprise so he wasn’t going to complain about the shift when there was a promise of good things ahead. “Did you find anything, Sam? We were just talking about going to get breakfast.”

“Yup. Buffet downstairs, let’s hope they have enough food to feed Dean. How’d you get him outa bed?” Sam went and plopped on the bed next to Cas.

“I crawled into it. Seems to be a very effective way to chase men away.” Cas grinned, flicking his eyes to Dean’s. “Maybe I smell.”

“Why would you think you smell?” Dean walked over and leaned in, causing Cas’ stomach to flip. “Smell good to me.”

Sam huffed a laugh. “He probably had to use the restroom.” 

“Yup.” Dean rubbed his stomach, still standing over Cas. “Food. Need food.”

Sam shook his head. His brother was a damn caveman sometimes. “Link needs food, Stoney. Let’s go.”

Dean laughed proudly, “Haha! Good movie reference, young grasshopper.”

Breakfast was good, especially for hotel food. They all ate a little too much, if Cas was being honest, but he knew it was going to be a long day and he wasn’t entirely sure when their next meal would be. They were discussing their next move when Charlie called, telling him that she ended up getting in earlier than she’d expected and needed a ride.

“Shit…” Cas muttered to himself. “Um...” He knew he should go, but that was going to be a slight detour he didn’t want to take, he was eager to see what Dean’s surprise was. 

Sam asked him what was wrong, and when he told him, Sam immediately offered to go get her. “Can I have the keys, Dean?” 

“What?!” Dean looked at them both and sighed, “One scratch, Sammy. One. I’ll cut your damn hair, got it?” He handed him the keys, but didn’t let go until Sam’s second pull.

"I'll be careful, Dean." Sam grinned, winked at Cas and then took off. Cas relayed the message to Charlie and then hung up, looking back at Dean. 

"So... you wanted to show me something? Should we wait for them to return?"

Dean watched Sam walk away with a scowl. “Don’t trust that guy sometimes.” He forced himself to look away and then relaxed when he looked into Cas’ eyes. “Yeah, um. I only bought two tickets anyway. Follow me, but don’t read signs, it will ruin the surprise.”

He nodded, relieved it was just going to be them. To show his willingness to oblige, Cas closed his eyes and placed a hand on Dean’s shoulder. “There, now I can’t see anything. Don’t let me run into anyone… or any walls.” 

Dean smiled widely. “Not showing the world those blue eyes is a shame. Walk with me, Cas.” They made their way down to the aquarium and Dean could smell the sea water before they even approached the entrance. Once they were in line, he grabbed Cas’ hand. “This okay? Just don’t wanna lose you in the crowd.”

Cas nearly opened his eyes from shock alone, but they barely did more than flutter before he slammed them shut again. He nodded, lacing their fingers together. "It's a... better grip this way." He wrinkled his nose, trying and failing to place the familiar scent. "Where are we?"

“You’ll see in a few minutes.” He gave the tickets and led Cas inside. He was hoping it would be instantly fish, but there was a weird alligator looking thing first, and Dean didn’t want Cas to miss anything. “Okay, open your eyes. This isn’t what I hoped would be by the entrance but we probably just have to walk a little more in.”

He licked his lips, considering his options without looking yet. There was one particular idea that stuck out as a horribly good one. "You could always take me wherever you wanted first, and we could double back? Or does it not work like that?"

“We can actually, as long as we don’t exit the place we can walk around as much as we want. Come on.” He felt excited again and pulled Cas along. When they finally walked through a tunnel of water, filled with fish and sharks, he grinned. “Okay, open.”

Cas didn't let go of Dean's hand as he finally opened his eyes, and all at once, a smile broke out across his face. "Dean! You remembered!" He'd loved aquariums since he was a boy, and honestly never understood the pull to actual zoos when aquariums existed. Cas tilted his head back to watch the fish swim above them, then turned to face Dean so he could see the other side. "This is incredible."

Dean was watching Cas’ face and knew it was completely worth it. All of it was. “Yeah, course I remembered.”  _ That smile is what’s incredible. _

He squeezed Dean’s hand and finally let go out of respect. If Cas held on any longer, it was going to venture to something less innocent and that wasn’t good for either one of them. “Seriously, Dean. This is...” he shook his head, his eyes widening at a shark. “I don’t have words.”

“Take your time, Cas. Seriously we can stay down here all day if it keeps that smile on your face.” Dean forced himself to look away and he walked closer to the glass.

Times like these, Cas actually wondered if maybe Dean felt the same. This wasn't something people typically did for their friends, right? Or was he just not aware that Dean treated everyone like this?  _ It doesn't matter anyway, the one thing I do know is that Dean has never been afraid to pursue the ones he wanted. He's had a dozen years and still hasn't made a move, and that should tell me everything I need to know. _ He watched him, realizing with a jolt that even in an aquarium as gorgeous as this one, he would still rather look at Dean. "Have you been here before?"

“Not here. Vegas yeah, just not here, here. I knew I wanted to bring you as soon as I saw a billboard like... five years ago.” Dean shrugged and looked around. A couple was holding each other and staring in the tank and it made Dean smile.

Cas followed his gaze and stepped closer to Dean again. "Do you think you'll ever settle down? Beyond a single night, I mean. I know you've had partners, but... it's been years since you've been with anyone like that." He nodded to the couple and tilted his head, curious about Dean's reaction.

Dean shrugged, “Nah. Not really for me.” He looked away and locked eyes with Cas. “People tend to get sick of me pretty fast. I know you’ve noticed.”

“Not me,” Cas said quietly as he reached out to straighten a wrinkle on Dean’s shirt that wasn’t even there. “You’re amazing, Dean. I know you’ll...”  _ fuck, why is it so hard to say? _ “You’ll find someone someday. No one deserves it more than you.” 

A smooth voice spoke from behind them. “Castiel?”

Cas whirled around to see Michael’s best man, Raphael. “What are - what are you doing here?”

“Michael thought you might like the... company.” Raph twisted his features into something that vaguely resembled a smile, or at least he hoped. 

Cas just stared blankly at him, knowing quite well that Michael knew he didn’t get along with Raphael, which meant that line was bullshit.  _ Did Michael seriously send someone to spy on me? _

“Sorry, who are you?” Dean asked, taking a step forward. “Got a tracking device on Cas’ phone or somethin’?” He got a weird fucking vibe from this dude.

Raphael eyed Dean and chuckled darkly. “You must be the grunt I keep hearing about. I’m Michael’s best man, I’m surprised we haven’t met.” He turned back to Cas, looking him over. “Michael told me I’d find you somewhere with him, but not even  _ I  _ believed it.” 

“It’s just an aquarium, Raph.” Cas gritted his teeth, just thankful he and Dean had no longer been holding hands.

_ “Grunt?” _ Dean took another step. “You don’t know shit about  _ shit, _ alright? So, how about you shut the fuck up and check out some damn fish.” His voice got louder and the younger couple rushed out of the tunnel, not wanting to be caught in whatever was happening.

Cas stepped between them and turned to face Dean, placing a hand on his chest. "It's not worth it, okay? Raphael has long been compensating for a small penis, that's all it is. Ignore him." Fury bubbled under Cas' skin - not even at Raph, but at Michael.

“Pretty sure everyone around Michael - him included - has a small penis. What you got in there, buddy? Packin’ a lil sixer?” Dean grinned and winked at Raphael. “Come on, let’s not let some stalker creep ruin our fish time. Come along, boy.” Dean made kissy noises like he was calling a puppy.

Cas’  _ ‘six inches is small to him?’  _ thought was cut off by Raphael shoving Dean up against the glass and crowding him. “Watch your mouth, you little punk. I know things about you that I don’t think our dear friend Castiel here would appreciate.”

Dean shoved him off aggressively, knowing damn well he could easily kick this short guy's ass. “Touch me again, and I’ll  _ show  _ you what the fuck a grunt is. Got it? Stay the fuck away from me. You’re lucky Cas is my best friend and I don’t want to ruin his fucking time.” He straightened his clothes and walked on, pulling Cas’ shirt softly so he would walk with him.  _ The fuck is that guy talking about? _

Cas let himself be dragged along, more confused than he had been in a long time. When they were a couple dozen steps away from Raphael, he yelled out, "He's in love with you, Castiel! Always has been." 

Shock and dread settled in his bones as he turned to face Dean, seeing the same sort of expression on his face. 

"You're what?"


	3. Death of a Bachelor

Charlie looked over at Cas and frowned at the way he was slumped. “C’mon, you can’t seriously be crapping out on me now! The fun barely even started!” 

“I know that.” Cas sighed and took another swig of his beer, hating the taste but needing the alcohol all the same. “I’m fine, I just… need a minute.”  _ Or a hundred.  _

She walked over, refilling his cup and sitting down next to him. “Do you not want to go? What happened, Cas? You sounded so happy earlier.” 

He didn’t know how to answer that. So much had happened, and yet nothing at all at the same time. “Raphael, Michael’s best man, he… he showed up. I think he’s here to spy on me, but that’s honestly the least of my concerns. It took all of twelve seconds for him and Dean to get physical, he completely ruined one of the best afternoons of my life and then…” His gut twisted, remembering the series of events that happened next. “He told me that Dean was in love with me.” 

His friend gripped his hand and pursed her lips, trying to catch his gaze. She’d known the two of them long enough that she was pretty sure she knew what the answer to her next question was going to be, yet she asked anyway. “What did Dean say?” 

Cas stared at their hands and set his cup down in favor of pulling his knees to his chest. “He said what I’ve always known, Charlie. That we’re best friends, there’s nothing more to it than that for him. He reminded me that Michael hates our friendship and probably told Raphael to say whatever he needed to in order to keep us apart, and he’s right. As much as I hate to admit it, that sounds like something Michael would suggest.” 

“C’mon, drink up. This calls for a boatload of booze, and some shameless gambling.” Charlie guided his cup to his lips and tipped it, and Cas reluctantly took the first sip - then downed the rest of it on his own. “There ya go!” Charlie smiled warmly and filled it up again, this time setting it on the table by Cas. “Look, we don’t have to go if you don’t want to, but I warn you… if we stay here, I’m going to spend the next four hours asking you why you’re marrying Michael when he acts like this all the time until you give me an answer I actually believe.” 

He didn’t have an answer, not anymore. Michael didn’t truly love him - or if he did, he certainly didn’t trust him. But Dean made it clear he didn’t want him either, so what difference did any of it make? “Let’s just go, the sooner we get down there, the better off I’ll be. You’re right, I just need to let loose a little bit.” 

Charlie hadn’t exactly said that, but she was for anything that stopped Cas from moping around all night. She cheered and ran out of the room in her bare feet to go get Dean, Sam and the others. 

She stopped outside of Dean’s door and smacked her palm against it. “Knock knock, bitches!” 

Dean opened the door and smiled. That shit earlier really fucked with his entire mood but he came upstairs and drank nearly half a bottle of whiskey, so he was feeling much better. “Hey, Charlie and the chocolate factory!” He pulled her in for a sloppy hug and then walked over to grab his boots. 

Sam looked at Charlie and shrugged, shaking his head slightly.

She thought about the mood Cas was in and wondered if it wouldn’t honestly be smarter to keep them apart, but that was a task she wasn’t up for. Charlie nodded to Dean and looked past him to where Zeke and Meg were standing. “Are you dweebs ready to go?”

Zeke nodded with an excited smile and Meg walked closer. “Finally. I’ve had to sit here and watch this one mope and not share his bottle.” She shoved Dean playfully and he chuckled and shoved her back softly. “See, and now he’s an eight year old.”

“Yeah? Wanna talk about moping, try dealing with the one without a sense of humor.” Charlie glanced back toward the door. “I honestly don’t even know if he’s coming.” 

Meg scoffed. “Of course he’s not, poor little guy hasn’t been laid in a month. Mikey’s been too busy from what I understand.”

“Not coming?” Dean straightened up and walked over with one boot in his hand and the other untied on his foot. “Cas.” He knocked on the door. “Cas, open up.” He imagined Cas not being laid for a damn month and felt ridiculous mixed emotions about it. On one hand, good.  _ Fuck that guy. _ But on the other, Cas deserved to come every single night, and if he was Dean’s... well, nothing. Because he’d never  _ be  _ Dean’s.

Sam almost walked over but he looked at Charlie. “What should we do?”

She glanced back at Dean as Cas opened the door looking ruffled. “Just wait it out. If anyone can get him out of that room, it’s Dean. Especially since he’s the one that put him there.”

Cas heard Charlie but ignored her, stepping aside to let Dean in. “Sorry I’m late, I didn’t want to come.”

Dean hobbled inside and sat on the bed to finish his shoes. “Why not? Cause that asshat is here? How about I kick his ass? We both go to jail and you get to have a good night, just pick me up at the jailhouse tomorrow. Deal?”

“You going to jail in Vegas sounds like a horrible idea, Dean. I don’t give a shit about Raphael, I’m just afraid he’s not going to stop. He’s an asshole.” Cas frowned, knowing there was no way they’d let him get drunk in peace and just go to sleep. “Let me get changed.”

He moved to the other side of the room and pulled his shirt off before bending down to root through his bag as Dean watched. They were two friends, nothing wrong with looking. Cas looked damn good.  _ Nope! _ Dean forced his eyes away. “Does he know where we are going? Let’s ditch him.”

“I don’t know how he could know, seeing as how I don’t even know. And I haven’t spoken to Michael since before we left.” Cas stood up with his shirt in his hand and looked around for his phone. He thought about calling him, but if he really had put Raphael up to that, he wasn’t ready for the fight.

“You haven’t? Why not? Thought he’d be checking in every hour.” Dean kept his eyes on the ground to be respectful, because he wanted to just stare at Cas’ body all night.

Cas shrugged on his shirt and grabbed his phone, sliding it into his pocket. "I don't know. Maybe he's working, the hospital has him pulling ridiculous shifts. I've barely seen him lately." He ran a hand through his hair and slid his shoes on, taking a deep breath. "Lead the way, tour guide.”

_ Or he’s fucking around. Only someone with something to hide is this fucking paranoid, to fly a damn friend to Vegas, just to watch his fiancé. _ “Yeah, okay.” Dean made a mental note to look into Michael, he had a bad feeling he was cheating and if he was, Dean was going to kick his ass. Again.

He followed Dean out of the room, plastering on a smile as he greeted his friends. It had been awhile since he’d seen Ezekiel, and honestly, he was surprised he’d shown up at all. They took a moment to catch up and then Meg interrupted, “Are we going to sit around tugging each other’s balls all night or are we going to see some real ones? I was promised Chippendales.”

“Spoiler alert! Who brought the soul sucking demon again!?” Dean messed up her hair and led the way. “Alright cat’s out the bag, sorry Sammich, we’re gonna go see some dongs! Not those uppity penguins though, those guys are no fun. We’re going to see some  _ real  _ male strippers.” He rubbed his hands together excitedly, it had been a while since he hooked up with a dude, but he just wanted to look.

Cas blushed, turning on his heel quickly. Absolutely not one bit of this seemed like a good idea, but what choice did he have but to play along? He’d forced everyone to come all the way to Vegas, for goodness sakes... what had he expected except for strippers? 

Sam shook his head. “Nuh-uh, no way. I’m not watching you get a boner ever again, not happening. Charlie and I will go find the female strippers, you guys have fun with your dongs.”

“First of all, low blow Sammy. That was private. Second of all, fine. Have fun with that.” Dean looped his arm with Cas’. “You’re comin’ with me. Zeke, you game to see some dongs? I know Meg is down.”

Zeke eyed Meg like she’d be enough to keep his attention and nodded. “Sure, I’m looking at a bunch of dicks right now, am I not?” He grinned playfully and linked arms with an amused Meg, mocking Dean and Cas.

“This is going to be a trainwreck, isn’t it?” Cas asked.

“Probably.” Dean shrugged. He’d made a big boy decision and called them Ubers so they wouldn’t be driving. 

As they stood outside, Meg shook her head, “You know, you’re way too excited. I swear you’re the gay one here.”

Dean laughed. “I thought we’d gotten over trying to label me, Meg. I don’t fit in any box.”

Meg rolled her eyes. “Long as the box has a hole, right?”

Dean gallic shrugged. “Exactly.”

_ A hole that’s not mine, _ Cas thought almost bitterly. He stopped dead in his tracks for a moment, closing his eyes and trying to shake away those stupid, selfish thoughts, then kept walking. _ I’m a horrible person. _

The Uber van pulled up and Sam and Charlie waved goodbye after picking 11:30pm as a meet back time. Dean let Cas, Meg and Zeke climb in the van first and just before he climbed in, Raphael was there, shoving inside. “Thank you, Dean.” 

It took everything to bite his tongue. “Any time, asshat.”

Cas was scared for a moment, Raphael had already proven himself to be violent, and he didn’t care for how close he sat to him. “What are you doing here, Raphael? No one invited you.”

“Your future husband did. Is it really a problem? I’ll behave.” He held up his hands in mock surrender, making Dean scoff and roll his eyes.

"Technically, no one invited Michael, either," Meg said from the backseat. "Just watch yourself, new guy. I may look small but I know about 7 different ways to flay you alive." Her voice was thick and amused, and Cas smiled smugly to himself despite the way the phrase  _ future husband  _ was currently making his skin crawl. 

Raphael turned to look at her. "What interesting company you keep, Castiel.”

Dean mocked him like a child. “What interesting company you keep, Castiel. If you’re here, you’re drinking and not being a fucking eyesore. Loosen up, take the tree branch out of your ass and enjoy the night. Got it?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think I’d enjoy this night immensely.” 

Cas frowned at Raphael, trying to decipher what the hell that was supposed to mean... but they’d arrived at their destination, and the driver seemed eager to kick them out so he didn’t get a chance to ask.

After they made their way inside, Dean was instantly pulled on by a dancer, whispering in his ear, asking if he wanted a dance. “Sorry, handsome. I’m here for him.” He put his arm around Cas’ back and ushered to keep walking.

“Dean, you’re allowed to enjoy yourself.” Cas nervously watched Raphael staring at them and nearly pulled away from Dean, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. “That’s what we’re here for, right?”

“Got all night, Cas. Come on.” Dean walked them to a corner on the left side of the stage and waited for the show to start. Dean wasn’t blind, he knew he was good looking, and all these hot guys checking him out had him seriously reconsidering his vow of no sex in Vegas.

Cas hadn't been laid in so long he was definitely afraid of how his dick was going to react, especially with Dean sitting so close to him. He watched the stage but tried to keep his eyes unfocused, looking but never really seeing. He survived the first show, but then Raphael saw to it that Cas paid attention. 

A dancer, possibly one of the most attractive people he'd ever laid eyes on other than Dean himself and Michael, came over to Dean after a brief talk with Raphael and straddled Dean's lap. "Consider me your formal apology.”

Dean chuckled and leaned up to the dancer’s ear. “What are the rules here? Chicks don’t let you touch sometimes.” He sat back and awaited instructions, his bottom lip between his teeth.

"You, baby? You can touch whatever you'd like, I'm fully paid for." The dancer ground down on Dean's lap and Cas watched with a mixture of jealousy and arousal, neither of which were appropriate or welcome.

Dean hesitated and then gripped his thighs, it really had been too long since he’d been touched. “Goddamn, you’re fine.” 

Meg watched with her eyes wide, it was damn hot watching Dean with a dude and Cas couldn’t agree more. He shuddered, unable to look away as the dancer ran a hand through Dean’s hair and tugged his head back, stopping just shy of actually kissing him. He gripped the sides of his chair and watched as the stripper’s crotch rubbed against Dean’s.  _ That should be me. _

Dean hissed and closed his eyes, rutting up against him. “Not too rough, big boy. You’re about to turn on a switch that doesn’t turn off easily.” This dude was giving off some vibes, and Dean was a  _ hard _ top. He wasn’t a dom, not in the textbook sense, but he  _ did _ like having control.

The guy groaned and slowed down, lifting up slightly as he continued to move. “Maybe I’ll flip it later.”

Meg whistled her encouragement as Cas drained his drink, getting up hastily to go get another. His skin was flushed and he could’ve sworn it was a hundred degrees in that club from the way his body was pulsing with heat. Seeing Dean like that was erotic in ways he really wished it wasn’t, but the sight was now permanently seared into his brain. 

He tapped his fingers on the bar as Raphael approached him. “Are you alright, Castiel? You look a little... flustered.”

“I’m fine,” he lied. “It’s just hot, and I’m thirsty.”

“Does that bother you?” He nodded at Dean. Michael had asked him to see how Cas would respond to this. “It shouldn’t. We all know that walking STI is going to fuck that stripper, maybe even more than one.” He nodded again, and another stripper was there, giving Dean a drink.

Cas dropped his eyes to the bar and clenched his jaw. “What are you getting out of any of this? What’s the point for you? Do you enjoy hurting people for fun?” He’d known Raphael was abrasive, but this was a low he didn’t know he could reach. “And you can report back to my fiancé that no, Dean getting laid doesn't bother me. If that’s what you two were aiming for, all you’ve managed to do is get Dean laid - possibly more than once, as you pointed out. Congratulations, your plan backfired.”

“Did it?” Rafael had a cold smirk. “We don’t have to be friends, but I am Michael’s best friend, so unless you're willing to draw that line - a line we all know you don’t want to draw - on best friends, maybe you can try to get along with me. I’m not your enemy, Castiel. But I know you still have feelings for that bum, and it’s time to let them go.”

That was impossible, as he’d never told Michael how he felt, nor had he ever told Raphael. He kept his face neutral. “You can report back to Michael and tell him if this is how he’s going to act, he might want to find a new groom.” Cas knew it was an empty threat, but this was ridiculous. “Now, if you’ll excuse me...  _ friend... _ I’m going to go enjoy my bachelor party.” Cas grabbed his drink and walked back toward Dean, who was now dividing his attention between the two dancers and Cas’ cock stirred in his jeans. He was wide-eyed from his own bravado with Raphael and so when he sat down, he didn’t make it a secret that he was watching. 

Dean was being pulled in two directions and teased so bad his cock was chubbing up. He shot back his whiskey and locked eyes with Cas.  _ Yup, definitely getting hard. Shit! _ Dean suddenly couldn’t pull his gaze from Cas’ as his hands roamed his strangers body. He finally closed his eyes and laid his head back, picturing Cas on him instead.

“Easy, cowboy. Share the love,” Meg said as she pulled one of the dancers away from Dean to herself. “Thought it was the bachelor that was supposed to jizz his pants, not the best man.” 

Cas cleared his throat, shaking his head quickly. “I prefer watching.”  _ Oh, good. That was good. Not at all creepy. _

Dean’s eyes shot open at what Meg said, because if she hadn’t spoken, he was literally about to jizz his pants. Picturing Cas on his lap was definitely not okay. He felt so guilty his boner died and he pulled the dancer in. “Can you give my blue eyed friend some attention? He’s marrying an asshole and could use a distraction.” 

The dancer nodded. “Sure thing big boy, but I’m coming back for that later.” He rubbed their crotches together again and climbed off his lap. “I’m here for the groom. Oh, you’re gorgeous too.”

Cas was not even close to a virgin, but he didn’t have half Dean’s confidence - nor did he have a damn clue what to do with a stranger in his lap. He swallowed audibly and attempted not to look at Dean as his hands hovered a couple of inches over the dancer’s body. “What’s... your name?”

The stripper laughed. “People never ask me that, thank you. My name is Cole. What’s your name, handsome?”

“Most people just call me Cas.” He hesitantly put his hands on the middle of Cole’s back and nodded minutely, giving him permission - if the poor guy even wanted to. “I realize getting pulled away from Dean for someone like me has to be a disappointment. I honestly don’t know how you do this job, it’s quite impressive.”  _ Build him a fucking resume, why don’t you.  _

“Dean...” The stripper tested the sound of it. “Handsome guys like you two make my job easy. Your boy is single, right? I’m surrounded by bottoms all day and he is radiating that big-dick-top energy I need in my life.” He tossed his head back and laughed, grinding against Cas again. “Not to mention, I could feel every inch of him straining his jeans, and you don’t feel those every day.” He whispered playfully, he assumed Cas wouldn’t want more than a dance anyway, since he was getting married.

Hearing Cole talk about Dean like that was almost as hot as watching it. He licked his lip and groaned involuntarily, sliding his hands a little lower and dropping his voice so they wouldn’t be overheard. “Keep - keep talking.”

Cole leaned in. “About my job... or about your friend?” He was more than willing to oblige.

“Friend,” Cas gasped quietly. “Please, I...”  _ This is the closest I’ll ever get. _

“Mmmm... well, he’s got the biggest I’ve felt in a while. We have a little game here where we guess dick sizes and laugh about it later. There’s no laughing at that one, based on my experience, he’s got a 9 incher in there and I would pay  _ him _ to have it.” Cole could feel what it was doing to Cas. “His hands felt so strong when he gripped my hips, and he is  _ not _ afraid to take control.”

Dean watched Cas with the stripper and had to grip his chair. He couldn’t peel his eyes away, it was so fucking hot. Cas was always  _ so _ reserved, seeing him turned on had Dean’s cock twitching in his jeans. 

Cas was so close to the edge it was painful, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it, to betray Dean like that when Dean was sitting right there. He moaned, letting himself have one last moment to picture Dean taking control of  _ him _ and then sat up a little straighter. “Um... that's... enough. You should go back to him, it’s clear you’ll get more out of him than you could me. I’m sorry I wasted your time.” He was hot and embarrassed and painfully hard, but all he wanted to do was go back to his hotel room and take a cold shower.

Cole was taken aback at the abrupt change. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have spoken about him at all. Please don’t tell my manager. I thought... that was a thing. I’m so sorry.” He climbed off and walked away, needing a moment to think about what he just did.

Dean watched him go with a frown. “You okay, Cas?”

“Fuck.” Cole had done exactly what he’d asked for and he’d made him feel like an ass about it. He nodded to Dean. “Tell him I’m sorry, and that he didn’t do anything wrong - I did.” He knocked the rest of his drink back and stood up, fumbling in his pocket for the room key and taking off the second he found it.

Dean instantly followed, waving bye to Meg and Zeke. “Cas! Wait! What happened?”

Not for the first time, Cas found himself in a situation where he couldn’t tell Dean the truth. “Nothing, he wanted you - not me, I simply tried to suggest he go back to you, and I think he took it the wrong way.” Cas pushed open the exit doors and then crossed his arms over his chest.

“Cas. I’m sorry. I knew I shouldn’t have taken the dance. Please, let me just walk you back.” Dean felt like shit, but watching Cas and the stripper was so fucking hot.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Dean.” Cas paced, looking aimlessly around the parking lot like his car was going to somehow teleport there from back home. “I’m not angry with you, or disappointed, or anything of the sort. I’m...” He sighed, knowing the only way to fix this was to point out the brutally obvious. He looked down at his jeans, still visibly bulging - and though he wasn’t as big as Dean apparently was, he wasn’t tiny, either. He averted his gaze and blushed ridiculously. “I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that, Cas.” Dean pointed at his bulge. “Strip clubs are supposed to arouse us. That’s their purpose. I was damn near fully hard too.”

Dean wasn’t getting it, and Cas didn’t know how to tell him that it wasn’t the strippers at all - it was  _ him. _ “Right. I understand that.” He tried to flag down a taxi but they drove right past, and Cas sighed in frustration. 

“I can call an Uber. I’ll take you back if you want to go back. Or we can go gamble or just walk the strip. Just... don’t push me away. Want to go find pie?” Dean had no idea what he was even asking, but he didn’t want to be apart from Cas yet.

Cas needed and wanted something he couldn’t have, and so none of those things sounded right to him. He closed his eyes and tipped his head back toward the sky. “I don’t know anything anymore. Just... take me somewhere.”

“Okay. Let’s just go walk. There’s taxi’s all over if we get lost, we’ll be fine.” Dean held out his hand. “You don’t gotta hold it the whole time, but let’s just get out of this neighborhood and back to the strip.”

He took it, hating himself every single step for it. Cas almost hoped Raphael would come out and see it so Michael would just leave him and he could go back home and hide until all of this was over. He stayed quiet as they walked, trying to clear his head and stop thinking like that.

“Air help?” Dean asked. It was spring, but the Vegas dry heat made the night comfortable. “Sorry that wasn’t fun for you. I was selfish to plan that.”

Cas couldn’t do it, he couldn’t sit there and listen to Dean call himself selfish when he was the worst one of all. “You? Dean, Cole looked upset because I asked him to tell me about you. About what it felt like to be on top of you, to have your hands on his body. And he did, and I almost came. I realized how incredibly unfair that was to  _ multiple _ people, told him to go back to you because he clearly wanted more from you, and then I tried to leave. And now, instead of respecting you like I should, I’m walking around Vegas with you in the middle of the night holding your hand. Don’t talk to me about being selfish simply because you were trying to have a good time.”

When he finished, he felt lighter. Cas had no idea if Dean would even believe him or not, but at least he wasn’t lying anymore.

Dean let go of his hand, not wanting him to be upset. “That’s... that’s okay Cas. I’m okay with that.” He really didn’t know what to say. So Cas actually  _ wanted _ to be on top of him? Dean finally asked something that had bothered him for a while. “Why him, Cas?”

Cas stopped walking, not entirely sure he understood the question. “Who? Michael?” He thought about it for a moment and realized how stupid his answer was. “I don’t know. He asked me out, we dated, and we just never stopped. When he asked me to marry him, it... just felt like the logical next step.”

Dean frowned, that isn’t how it’s supposed to be. “So, not love? Cas... you should marry because you’re in love.”

“I can’t.” The words were out whether he wanted them to be or not, so Cas shrugged one shoulder and tried to be slick about looking for an escape route. There was none, of course, unless he wanted to roam Vegas alone after dark. “I don’t think I’m getting married, anyway.”

“Good.” Dean took a step in and then back again. “He’s an asshat anyway, come on, let’s walk it off.” Dean almost made a damn move, and Cas was over here worried about whether or not he was still getting married. That kind of shit was exactly why Dean was selfish. “Let’s go find some dessert. We need it.”

All he wanted to do was go back to the hotel and go to sleep, but he was incapable of telling Dean no about anything, so he nodded. “Right, dessert.”

They found a diner and sat across from each other. Dean watched Cas, sensing there was something going on. “Talk to me.”

That wasn’t going to happen. Certainly not under the current circumstances., so he went with something he knew would distract Dean. “Michael’s an ass.”

“Yeah. Coulda told you that. I mean the dude sent a spy! Isn’t that kinda shady?” Dean played with the butter knife on the table. “Want me to punch him? You know, nostalgia.” He grinned innocently.

Cas was too tired to try and figure out why Dean looked so hot playing with a knife, and that sounded like a can of weirdness he might  _ never _ be ready to open. “You know, neither one of you ever told me why you punched him.”

Dean’s face fell and he straightened.  _ Goddammit!  _ “He got mad at me for putting my arm around you. You hear how he talks to me, Cas. I was a hot head.”  _ Ha. Was. _

None of that sounded unbelievable, so he nodded. “Seems to be a silly thing to keep from me for two years, but I understand. He definitely has some jealousy issues, particularly where you’re concerned.”

“Yeah, weird.” Dean shrugged, but was it weird? He glanced up and met his eyes. “I’d probably be jealous if you were mine too... you’re... awesome, Cas.”

Cas’ chest tightened uncomfortably and he forced himself to look out the window. “That’s kind of you to say, Dean.” He didn’t know what else to offer there without screaming to the entire diner that he'd wanted that for as long as he could remember.

Dean was suddenly angry at himself. He should have made a move years ago, the fact that the moment was never perfect enough was a damn cop out. Dean chickened out, plain and simple. “He doesn’t deserve you, Cas.”  _ Don’t marry him. _ But once again, he couldn’t say it.

“You don’t think anyone deserves me, you never have.” Cas felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and pulled it out. “Shit, we were supposed to meet the others hours ago, we got caught up at the club...” he texted Sam back and told him they were okay, and just as he hit send, Michael called. 

“Hello?”

“Where the hell are you? Raphael said you disappeared. Are you okay?” He sounded genuinely worried, which just confused Castiel even more. 

He flicked his eyes to Dean’s and took a deep breath. “I’m fine. I drank a little too much and needed food, I’m at a diner. I’ll be heading back soon.”

“I’ll pick you up at the airport tomorrow. Your flight comes in at 3, right?”

_ Shit.  _ “Uhm... I ended up driving to Vegas with Sam and Dean. I missed my flight.”

Michael was silent for a long moment as he digested that information. From what Raphael had told him, Cas had been getting a little too cozy with Dean, and if he didn’t play his cards right, he was going to lose him. He fought back the irritation that spiked through his bones and said calmly, “I understand. It’s a scenic drive, I’m glad you got to experience that. Do you still have your tickets? I had something planned for you that you won’t make it back in time for if you drive.”

Dean wished he could hear Michael on the other end of the phone.  _ Why isn’t Cas asking about Raphael?  _

Cas chewed on his lip and nodded to the table.  _ What the hell am I doing? Michael is a good man, he’s a doctor and my life with him will be easy. Even now, Dean is proving he’s the greatest friend anyone could ever ask for, but that’s all it is. I should go home. _ “Yes, I can fly home in the morning.” 

Dean’s expression completely changed and he sat up straighter in the booth.  _ After all of that, he still chooses Michael.  _

“Excellent, Cas!” The smile on Michael’s face was evident in his voice and Cas relaxed a little. “I’ll see you tomorrow. I can’t wait to kiss you, I feel like it’s been weeks.” 

He squirmed in his seat, knowing it had absolutely been weeks since they’d shared something other than a quick goodbye kiss. Maybe that was why he was having second thoughts? “Okay, Michael. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I love you, Castiel.”

The words were nice to hear, but when he tried to say them back, Dean’s words echoed in his head.  _ ‘Cas, you should marry because you’re in love.’  _

And sitting there at that table, one thing was abundantly clear. Cas wasn’t in love with anyone but Dean. 

It was about to be a long few days. 


	4. I Write Sins, Not Tragedies

The walk back to the hotel was quiet. Dean was too upset to talk, and what would he even say? Cas made up his mind. He wanted Michael. 

“Here we are. Sleep good, Cas.” Dean finally forced himself to look into Cas’ eyes, and they froze. 

It was intense, and said more than either ever could have said with their words, but it lasted all of twenty seconds before Charlie ripped open Cas’ room door. “There you two are! Is everything okay?”

Dean cleared his throat and started back peddling down the hallway. “Yup. All good. See you two in the morning.” But he knew he wouldn’t be seeing Cas, because he had a flight to catch... back home to his fiancé. Dean needed a drink - no... Dean, needed an entire bottle.

Cas watched him go and headed into the room. “No, Charlie, everything is decidedly not okay. You couldn’t have picked a worse time to open that door, I didn’t even get to say goodbye.”

“Shit... I’m sorry.” She watched Cas and could just _tell_ he talked to Michael. “You’ll see him tomorrow, right?” She wasn’t sure how to tread right now, so she went with lightly.

She walked over and sat with him. “I think... Dean sucks at words.” That was an understatement. “He is worried Michael is going to make you cut him off after you’re married. He’s not handling that well.” She grabbed his hand. “Dean is an idiot, we all know this.” _Hopefully that can make him smile... nope._

“If he’s so worried about it, maybe he shouldn’t have run away.” That wasn’t fair, and Cas knew it, but he couldn’t help but be upset by the fact that a Dean left without even really talking to him. “This was supposed to be our last night and apparently, he was ready for it to be over.” He pushed himself off the bed and poured himself a drink. “It’s fine. I hope you and Sam had a good night.” 

She almost kept talking about Dean, but wasn’t sure if that was best. She knew him well enough to know he was downstairs - drinking, gambling and probably looking for someone to fuck, just so he could run from his feelings for his best friend. He’s never admitted it to her, but she wasn’t blind, and the last thing Cas needed to hear was the truth. “We did. Sam met a girl. Not a stripper, it was when we were walking down the strip. I left so they could have private time. Did anyone else meet anyone? How was the dong club?” Charlie was sad that even _that_ didn’t get a smile out of Cas.

“Oh, the strip club? Right, that. I nearly came from watching a stripper give a Dean a lap dance, and then having said stripper recount the event while straddling me. It was great,” he nodded almost sarcastically. It _had_ been great, in the moment, but now he was just feeling guilty. “Did I mention Dean was sitting maybe 8 feet from me?”

_Yikes! What a shit show of a night._ “I’m sorry, Cas. This was supposed to be a fun night for you. How can we make it better?”

Cas kicked off his shoes and laid back on the bed. “It’s my party, I can die if I want to, right? I just want to go to sleep.”

“Okay.” She walked over to tuck him in and then plopped on the bed, deciding to dig in more. “Cas, you have to talk about what you're feeling inside, you’re not alone here.”

He closed his eyes so he wouldn’t need to look at her and took a deep breath, knowing Charlie was the second-to-last person on earth that would ever judge him. “I don’t think I want to marry Michael. But I live with him, my family is either dead or living out of state and I don’t have anywhere else to go. I know that’s a shitty reason to marry someone but I feel like if I don’t, I’ll spend the rest of my life alone and wishing I was with Dean.” He paused, huffing through his nose. “Oh, by the way, yes. I’m aware of how selfish I am, it has been glaringly obvious through the course of the last couple of weeks.”

“You aren’t selfish, Cas. You’re the most thoughtful guy I know. It’s okay to be confused, especially with something as big as this. Also, you will always have a room at my place, Dean’s place, Sam’s place, take your damn pick. Because we all love you and you need to choose whatever will make you happiest. Can you think of any reason to marry Michael that doesn’t have to do with stability? Or better, think of your perfect husband. Does Michael fit that vision? Because if not, don’t do it.”

_Of course he doesn’t, because it’s Dean. It’s always been Dean and will always be Dean._ “Right now, I have the freedom to do what I love. I don’t sell enough novels to support myself, at least not for long periods.” He pulled the blanket up a little higher. “I just wish I had more time between now and the wedding, so I could have these things straightened out before I left. I’m... I’m overwhelmed, Charlie. And all I wanted to do was spend time with Dean, but I think I did something wrong earlier because he could barely look at me until we were standing outside of the door.”

She sighed, it always went back to Dean. Cas was so in love with him it hurt _her_ to watch. These boys were going to give her gray hairs. “Don’t do it, Cas. He’s not the one for you. Come live with me.” Her apartment was small, but they could make it work. “Or... Dean’s. He has a whole house, and I’ve literally heard him say you could live there.” _Shit... was that a secret?_

Cas was too oblivious to catch it and assumed she was just trying to be helpful. “He didn’t say that, but I wouldn’t put it past him to mean it. He truly is one of the best people I’ve ever met.” His chest constricted and he chewed on his lip, sitting up to look at her. “Fine. I’m going to do it, I’m calling off the wedding.” The admission immediately lifted some of the weight on his shoulders, so he said it again to see what would happen. “I’m not marrying Michael. I’m calling off the wedding, because I do not want to spend the rest of my life with him.” The more he said it, the better he felt. He grinned a little at the end and tilted his head as he watched his friend. “I think it’s clear I’d be a terrible stripper, so I’ll need to find a different day job.”

Charlie smiled and hugged him. “I know it’s hard but you got this! And, you’d be an awesome stripper.” She laughed, “I’m also sure your business owner/best friend would never let you be jobless.”

“I’m already going to be asking enough of him, he doesn’t need to employ me, too.” He smiled as she pulled back and all at once, he was exhausted. “Maybe we will throw an un-bachelor party when this is all over and I promise I’ll be more fun.”

“I don’t doubt it!” She felt better too, knowing Cas was making the right decision. “Want to watch some crap hotel tv until we pass out?”

“Yes, that sounds like a wonderful idea.” He snuggled down in the blanket, afraid of what was coming next but knowing he was doing what was best for everyone involved. All he had to do was actually follow through. 

~~~~

A couple hours later, Sam was knocking on their door loudly. He wasn’t sure if they were awake, but he had no damn clue where Dean was and the last he saw him, he was nearly blacked out drunk. “Cas!” 

_Knock knock._

Charlie scrambled off the bed and yanked the door open. “He’s asleep and I’m pretty sure he needs it, why are you yelling?”

“Sorry.” Sam stepped inside and looked around. “Dean isn’t here?” Normally he’d assume Dean found a conquest, but something about today told him Dean wasn’t in the mood for that.

Cas groaned and slid his head underneath the pillow. “If Dean was here, I can assure you, neither of _you_ would be.” 

Charlie laughed, absolutely positive Cas hadn’t meant to say that out loud. “He’s not wrong, I haven’t seen Dean since he left a couple of hours ago. We assumed he was in your room.”

Sam sighed and rubbed his eyes. It was a long damn night. “No, he isn’t in there. I saw him an hour ago downstairs. He was completely obliterated, playing poker with some strange looking dudes. I went to the bathroom and when I came back, he was gone.” _Fucking Dean!_

“What?” Cas sat up and rubbed his eyes, groggy as hell. “Go find that stripper, maybe Dean decided to finish what they started. Shit, wait. Neither of you were there. His name is Cole.”

“Uh... I didn’t see any stripper-looking guys around. It’s 4am Cas, all that were around him were fifty year old rich men. Plus... you didn’t see how drunk he was.” Sam pointed at his own crotch. “No way ’little Dean’ is working.”

Cas mumbled, “there’s nothing little about it,” and then stood up. “I think you’re underestimating your brother’s willingness to put his penis in someone. If you’re really worried about him, we can split up and look for him... but I’m pretty sure he’s just getting laid.”

And just like that, Cas’ good mood was back in the tank. Charlie nodded her agreement and put a hand on Sam’s arm. “Dean’s a big boy, Sam. I’m sure he knows what he’s doing.”

“No... you’re right. I’m sorry I bothered you. I’ll just wait for him to come back. Get some sleep, Cas.” Sam walked to the door and sighed. He knew Dean was a big boy, he could take care of himself. It was just _how_ drunk he was that had him worried. 

Charlie looked over at Cas and could see his mood was down again. “Maybe he’s just getting food. We all know that is just as possible as him looking for sex. Sometimes I think he prefers food.”

“I don’t have the right to get mad either way, Charlie. He’s entitled to screw whoever he wants.” Cas glanced at the clock and dug the heels of his palms into his eyes. “I’m just going to shower and head to the airport, there’s no point in going back to sleep. You should get some rest, but will you call me if you hear anything about Dean?”

“Cas, just lay down for another hour. Your flight isn’t until 7.” She could see he was going to argue. “Lay down or I’m going to tie you to the bed, don’t think I didn’t bring my restraints.” She didn’t, but Cas didn’t need to know that.

“At least someone would be tying me up,” he deadpanned, but ultimately got back into bed. He had no intention of sleeping again, but he also wasn’t ready to go anywhere near the airport because that plane would be taking him home to Michael - and a shitstorm of his own creation. “One hour.”

~~~~

Dean sat in some stranger’s hotel room, wondering how the hell he got there. He remembered helping Cas up to their room after Michael called and ruined his damn night. Dean had made sure he was safe up there with Charlie and then made his way back to the bar. 

Something about saying goodnight to Cas up there felt so damn final, Dean couldn’t handle it. He fucking _loved_ Cas. Loved him so much he vowed he’d never be with anyone else, just on the off chance Cas might one day leave Michael. Dean may not know what he wants for lunch every day, but he absolutely, without a doubt, knew he wanted Cas. Always. 

He vaguely remembered playing poker with some shady sounding Irish people… or maybe it was Scottish? They were talking about Scotland, after all.

Anyway, there he was, playing his last hand of backdoor poker in some random room. At least he was still at the Mandalay Bay… he hoped. 

He blinked away the alcohol and took a deep breath. “Where were we?” Dean mumbled.

“Ye wur playing yer haun at real poker, laddie. All or nothin’, aye?” _Jesus, how much money did I spend?_ “Dinnae look so worried, a’m sure your Impala will be just grand.” Dean looked down at the table and saw a mother fucking pink slip. 

“No… no I would never.” His heart pounded in his chest.

“Ye did. Ye said something alang th' lines o', _‘If ah cannae hae Cas, ah dinnae want anythin'’_ Dinnae wha’ a Cas is, but ye shouldn’t gamble oan a goosed heart.”

_This is it. This is how Dean fucking Winchester will die. Because these accented fucks are going to have to rip these keys out of my cold dead hands._

“Och, a flush…” The short scruffy man set out his cards. “Let’s see ‘em.”

_Sonofabitch!_ Dean set his cards out without looking and the room stilled. His eyes darted down and he jumped up. “Fucking, four of a kind! Give me back my baby papers, bitch!” He snatched up his pink slip, along with some older, worn paperwork. “The fuck is this?”

“Whit gear ur ye oan? Ye cam 'ere tae win th' sodden estate, noo ye ‘ave it. Lea afore ah chaynge mah bloody mind!” He stood up and walked over to the window.

_Is this even fucking English?_ There were seven other people in the room, and all of them watched, surprised that Dean had actually won. “Well, you boys have a nice night now.” He walked out of the room before anyone could grab him or fucking shoot him or some crazy movie bullshit. _How the fuck did I get here?!_

Dean stumbled up to his floor and after trying about three wrong rooms, he finally found his and instantly collapsed onto the bed, he could feel himself drifting off when a pillow hit him in the head. “Jerk! I’ve been worried all damn night!”

“S’fine Sammy. M’scottosh now,” he mumbled. Sam had no fucking clue what he meant or why he was talking in a horrible accent, but let him sleep it off. He’d kick his ass in the morning.

~~~~

Dean woke up with a fucking epic hangover. He had no clue how he even got to his damn room, let alone in the right bed. Sitting up with a groan, he looked around the room. _Okay... still in Vegas. I can smell Sam’s vegan shampoo, so I’m in the right room. But where... ah fuck!_ Dean jumped up and barely made it to the bathroom.

Afterward, he actually felt much better. 

“Serves you right.” 

“Save it, Sammy or I’ll puke in your damn backpack.” He didn’t mean it, he definitely just emptied the entire contents of the night before into that poor toilet. He brushed his teeth and plopped back onto his bed, still in last night's clothes and boots. “The hell happened last night?”

Sam tilted his head and watched his idiot brother. He knew he shouldn’t take advantage of the memory lapse, but he had been up half the night worried about Dean and sort of felt like he deserved to be messed with a little bit. “Well, you got extremely drunk and kissed Cas. Said something about how you’ve been in love with him for years... I don’t know. I was only there for the end.”

Dean’s entire face drained of color. He stood up and then sat back down, his face falling in his hand. “Fuck.” He didn’t remember it in the slightest, but he knew without a doubt he'd always wanted to do that and he was absolutely in love with Cas. “Fuck!” He repeated. “Does he hate me?” Dean met Sam’s eyes, searching for answers.

_Damnit._ Dean’s reaction sucked the fun right out of it, but at least Sam finally had confirmation. “No, he doesn’t hate you... mainly because it didn’t happen. You apparently ran away last night. Cas thought you were with a ... a stripper? I don’t know. You didn’t kiss him, Dean. I’m sorry. Bad joke.”

Dean fell back on his bed with a groan. “Fucking asshat!” He covered his face and sighed. “I was about to move out of the damn country! I remembered saying goodnight but I didn’t ‘run away’ I just... needed a drink.” _What time was Cas’ flight? What time is it even right now? Should I go see him?_ Dean glanced over at the clock and then back at the ceiling. _He’s already gone... back to Michael._

Sam watched Dean’s face fall and actually felt even worse. “I didn’t see him this morning. I went over to tell them you came back home and to the best of my knowledge hadn’t been with any strippers, but Cas had left already. I told Charlie we’d take her to the airport, I hope that’s okay?”

“Yeah, that’s fine Sam.” Dean thought about the previous night. “And there were no strippers... but I played some poker... that’s all I remember man.” He massaged his temples.

“Let’s hope you didn’t bet all your money or we’re gonna have a helluva time getting back.” Sam strode toward the door and tapped on the frame. “I’m gonna go get Charlie, you good to go?” 

Dean sat up to check his wallet. “No cash... just a piece of paper and baby’s pink slip. Ima shower and then check the damn bank.” He moped over to the bathroom and stripped down. 

Charlie was all dressed and packed when Sam came over, “You guys about ready? Is Dean alive?”

“Yeah, he’s alive. Apparently he was out gambling.” Sam grabbed Charlie’s suitcase from her and nodded across the hall. “I don’t think he’s handling the upcoming nuptials very well.”

“No? Cas either. In fact, he’s calling it off. I’m proud of him.” She walked past Sam and went into their room and plopped on Dean’s bed. She glanced at the paper but then looked at her phone. “I have an hour to be at the airport, so I’m sure we’re fine.”

Sam chuckled to himself and sat down. “You’re telling him that. I fucked with him a little bit this morning, there’s no way he’ll believe me.”

“What did you do??” She asked with an amused face but when he told her, her smile faded a little. “Wait, he believed you?”

“Yep. Didn’t doubt it for a second.” Sam scratched the back of his neck and sighed heavily, hating himself all over again. “I’d always had my suspicions, but that kind of confirmed them.”

“Dude they are both so in love and _so_ blind! How can two whole different people be so dumb?” She whispered. “Should we intervene? Or see how it plays out?”

Sam’s eyes widened in surprise and he temporarily forgot he was trying to be quiet. “Wait, is that why he called off the wedding?”

Dean didn’t hear most of their conversation, but he did hear that last part and nearly slipped stepping out of the shower. He grabbed a towel and walked over, dripping wet. “Who called off what wedding?!”

Charlie smacked Sam's arm and stood up, prepared for a whole mess of possible reactions. "Cas went home to call off the wedding. He's still in the air, but from the sound of things... he's planning on leaving Michael tonight."

“Holy shit!” Dean ran his hand through his wet hair. “Did... he say why?” He looked away and walked towards his bag to find boxers - or anything really - so he wasn’t just in a towel.

Sam shot her a warning glance, but Charlie knew better anyway. She drew out a contemplative hum but ultimately slumped her shoulders. "I don't think I'm the right person to tell you that, Dean. It's not my story to tell."

“Right, right. Sorry.” He grabbed some clothes and disappeared into the bathroom to dress. _Why can’t she tell me... unless it is my fault. Did I really confess my damn love last night?! What the fuck happened?!_

"This ride is going to be hell. Any chance you want to switch me? I'll fly, you ride with Dean while he panics for 17 straight hours?" Sam asked hopefully, knowing damn well she wouldn't take the deal. 

"Oooh no, nope. However, I'll expect a full report when I land, I want to know about every single one of his freak-out moments."

He chuckled quietly. “You got it.” 

~~~~

Cas had expected to change his mind by the time his plane landed, but when he caught sight of Michael in the lobby, he was more convinced than ever that he was making the right choice. _Just need to get through tonight. I can pack up and leave while he's at work in the morning and put all of this as far behind me as possible._

“Castiel.” Michael walked over and grabbed his bags, leaning in for a kiss. “I missed you, how was your trip?”

"It was fine, but I'm glad it's over. Vegas decidedly doesn't agree with me." He was burning up with the desire to scream at Michael for the stunt he'd pulled with Raphael, but he was also desperate to make it out of this in one piece and with as minimal fighting as possible. "I know I must look exhausted, but I promise... I'm ready for whatever you had planned today."

“Well, I’m glad Vegas doesn’t agree with you, because I’m glad you’re home. I figured you’d be tired, so I changed the plans and all of it will happen at home. There will be pie, but that is all you get.” He winked and opened the door for Cas when they reached his car. Michael didn’t like pie, but he knew Cas did, and after talking to Rafael he was worried Cas would want to leave him. He was just relieved he came home.

Cas smiled halfheartedly at him as he slid into the passenger seat. _Of course this would be one of the nights when Michael was a complete and utter gentleman..._ even unknowingly, the ass couldn't ever make things easier on him. 

He recounted the bits that he could, leaving out Raphael and Dean's fight and a majority of the things that involved Dean, and by the time they got back home, Michael didn't seem to want to talk about Vegas anymore. They got his luggage inside and Cas made up a hasty excuse not to unpack it just yet - it would be easier for him in the morning if he didn't have to _re_ pack it.

Michael ushered him into the dining room. He lit the candles and pressed play, Cas’ favorite band was filing the silence as he pulled out Cas’ favorite dish from the oven. “I know you’re tired, but let’s eat and then get you comfortable.”

"That... actually sounds wonderful, thank you." Cas sat down at the table almost hesitantly, like if he moved at all they'd be screaming at each other again. He watched as Michael moved around the kitchen to dish up the food and do some preliminary cleaning while it cooled off enough to eat, tapping the drum beat on the table. "It smells delicious."

“Good. I just wanted to do something nice for you. I work all day tomorrow, so we’re on a time crunch, but I'm sure you’d love to go to bed early tonight, too.” He served the dinner and made his way over, kissing Cas’ head as he sat down with their plates. “Dig in, honey.”

He hummed and ate in silence, grateful for the distraction. Something about this felt wrong, like he'd come back from Vegas and suddenly he was living someone else's life. _It's because you finally admitted this isn't what you want. He said you could go to bed early, just do that and don't leave until it's time to leave for good._ Cas helped a little with the dishes afterward but Michael insisted on doing most of it, so he excused himself to go put some pajamas on. 

Looking around their bedroom was hard. For better or worse, this had been his home for over a year, and it was going to be harder for him to leave the actual house than it was for him to leave Michael.

Michael walked up behind Cas and wrapped his arms around him. “Are you too tired?” He rutted against Cas, showing him he was hard. “It can be a quick one.” Michael kissed along his neck.

Cas' body wasn't quite aware of the change in plans and responded almost immediately to the touch. He'd been neglected, edged, and teased in the last few days and he couldn't deny that Michael's hands felt good on his body. He briefly considered allowing some goodbye sex, anything to relieve some of the tension he was feeling before it magnified by a hundred-fold the next day - but the thought of Michael grunting over top of him sent the shitty kind of shivers down his spine. He spun around to face him, kissing him as deeply as his nausea would allow and flicking his tongue over Michael's bottom lip. "I want to be good for you, but I'm exhausted. I do miss you though, what about when you get off work tomorrow? When you come home, I'll make sure I don't have anything on at all."

“Yeah?” He gripped Cas’ ass and rubbed their crotches together. “I love how that sounds. I can wait one more day for that.” Michael wanted nothing more than to bend Cas over and make sure that he was still all his, but he could do that the following day. He didn’t want to upset him and ruin their good night by being pushy.

He nearly gave in. The friction alone felt amazing, and Cas was so horny he'd hump the couch if it meant alleviating some of the pressure in his balls. He feared for a moment that his breathy gasp gave away just how desperate he really was. "Thank you. I'll make it worth your while, you know I always do."

“You absolutely do. Best I’ve ever had.” And that, Michael really meant. The idea of them not getting married and never feeling Cas’ mouth on his cock again made him actually consider being fake friends with that grunt.

Cas was a sucker for praise and offered Michael a real smile for the first time all evening. "Damn right, I am. Now, let's go to bed, I know it's barely five o'clock but I'm done." _In more ways than you could imagine._ He was also afraid if Michael touched him one more time he was going to end up begging to get fucked, and Michael typically hated cuddling so getting him into bed was actually the best way to make sure they _didn't_ have sex.

“I won’t wake you when I leave in the morning, so give me a goodbye kiss now and let’s get some sleep.”

He leaned in without hesitation, kissing Michael gently at first and then more heatedly. Part of him was trying to dump a thousand 'I'm sorry' sentiments into that kiss, and part of him was trying to let go of two years of his life. When he pulled back, he smiled softly and brought his hand up to Michael's cheek. "Goodbye." _For good._

“Goodbye. Get comfortable. I’ll change and join you in a moment.” Michael had gotten a weird vibe when Cas touched his face, but pushed those thoughts away. They would talk about it all after he got home. 

Cas still barely slept, though he kept his eyes shut and his breathing as even as possible so Michael wouldn’t bother him. He was pretty sure he nodded off at some point, but he was awake when Michael got out of bed the next morning and got ready for his shift. Michael kissed his forehead before leaving, and Cas had one more second thought before his decision was cemented in his mind. 

  
The second that front door closed, Cas sprang to his feet and packed as quickly as he could. He knew Michael wouldn’t be back for hours, but he wasn’t sure if he’d need to make more than one trip and didn’t want to run out of time. 

As it was, he left a couple of stubborn bags that wouldn’t fit in his car behind with no intention of coming back for them. By the time he’d finished writing the letter officially calling off their wedding and their entire relationship, he was fighting back tears of terror and if he was being honest - sadness. He hated that it came to this and was so, _so_ afraid of what his future would hold, but when he left the house… he didn’t look back once. 

Cas drove straight to Dean’s, knowing that no matter what happened next, he wanted Dean by his side. There was no sign of Baby when he pulled in, and he considered calling to find out how close to home he was but decided against it. How was he supposed to explain any of this over the phone? He didn’t even know how he was supposed to explain it in person, but he knew he had a better shot at it if he could just _see_ Dean… 

So, he sat down on Dean’s front step, and waited. 

~~~~

After they dropped off Charlie, they started their long trek home. Dean was a nervous wreck, he tried to hide it from Sam, but he never did hide things from him well. _Cas is calling off the wedding. It’s friggin crunch time. I can’t blow this shit again... I can’t-_ “What?” He glanced at Sam. “You say something?”

“Dean, if you want to talk about it, you know I’m here. But yeah, I was asking if you ever looked at that slip, the one from your late-night gambling adventure.”

“Oh, no.” He shuffled around and pulled it from his back pocket. “Can you tell me what it means?” Sam was always the smart one, so if anyone could figure out that Scottish crap, it was him. He suddenly remembered the guys from last night. “Oh, I won that playing poker. Dudes had thick accents and that guy was pretty flustered that I won. But the douchebag wanted my Baby. I almost lost her, Sam!” Dean pet the steering wheel and told the car how sorry he was while Sam read the paper.

"Uh, well... you're uh..." Sam laughed quietly and shook his head. _Only Dean._ "You're the proud new owner of an estate. In Scotland. I'm pretty sure you won that guy's house, Dean, are you sure this is legit?" He held the paper closer and examined the watermarks. "Who just carries around a deed like this? Especially because it's still in his name... Gavin MacLeod."

“What? That dude gambled his house for a car? The fuck is wrong with the house?” Dean tried to glance at the paper and swerved. “Sorry. Is it real?”

"I'm not exactly an expert, Dean, but yeah. Looks pretty real to me, but it's not that simple. Even in Scotland, there's steps that need to be taken before you can legally own it." Sam flipped the page over and found a post-it note with a phone number on it. "Guess he knew that."

“This shit is sketchville man. I should just ignore it right? I didn’t lose any money, did I sign anything? Ah fuck, I don’t remember.”

Sam rolled his eyes. "Are you serious? Dean, you should at least check it out. How often do things like this happen? It could be worth money for all you know... a lot of money. Even if Scotland has something similar to a capital gains tax... you could still potentially make a killing."

“Keep talkin...” Dean waved his hand, liking how this was sounding. After about one more minute of Sam’s speech, Dean was convinced. “Alright, fine. But, do I have to like... fly there?”

"No," Sam deadpanned. "Don't you watch the news? They put a bridge over the Atlantic, you can just cruise right on over. Might wanna take some gas cans, though. Not a whole lot of stops."

Dean narrowed his gaze. “I actually believed you for a second, bitch.” He rolled his eyes. “Ah hell, you wanna just go for me?”

"Honestly? Kind of, but I'm not going to miss this opportunity to force you to take a vacation. You work too damn much, and you know me and Benny have it covered. Take a week and just go check it out, if it's not worth your time, just leave the deed there and come back home."

“Seems like an awful long way to go for a maybe... some Scottish people are kinda hot though.” He shrugged, actually considering it.

Sam side-eyed his brother and decided not to touch that one. "How drunk were you that you actually bet your _car?”_

“Shut up.” Dean yelled, much louder than necessary. “I don’t fucking know! I would have killed them or died before they took her, so it doesn’t count!”

"Yikes, take it down a notch, Dean. I don't think she blames you, it's not like you had the best day." Sam adjusted his seatbelt and breathed through his nose for a moment, bracing himself. "Hey, speaking of that... don't uh... don't get your hopes up too much, okay? No one's heard from Cas since he left Vegas, he might not've gone through with it."

Dean stiffened and stared intently at the road. _What if he didn’t..._ He realized that he needed this vacation. He needed the space, because if Cas actually married that dick, Dean was sure he’d never be the same.

Sam didn't know what else to say, not without outright accusing Dean of being in love with his best friend. He had to hope that Dean would open up on his own, so Sam leaned down to pick up the box full of cassette tapes. "Driver's choice, what do you wanna hear?"

“Uh... put on some Jovi.” Dean thought they were okay, but Cas loved them, not that Sam needed to know that. But... Sam was here. He wanted to be there for Dean and he could just never find the damn words. “Sam...” he cleared his throat. “Sam, I love Cas.”

_Finally._ "Whaaat?" Sam asked in the most exaggerated tone he could muster. "You love Cas? Wow, what a secret." He smiled warmly, dropping the asshole act. "Congrats on being the last to know, Dean... but he loves you, too. I think he always has... I'm just glad you two idiots are finally saying it out loud."

“Did he say it though? Like the words? Don’t be a douche, you know how damn hard this is for me.” Dean lowered the music. “I’ve known... a long fucking time. But the timing was always fucked and now I just feel like an asshole.”

Sam couldn't answer that the way that he wanted to, because the truth was that he didn't have anything other than Charlie's word for it. "I know it's hard for you, Dean, but isn't it also hard to not know if he feels the same?"

“Well yeah. But come on, you know him. He deserves so much more than me. I hoped that would be Doctor Dickhole, but as it turns out, he’s a dick.” Anger flared his chest just at the thought of Michael. “What if he freaks and I’m hours away? I have to be there for Cas, no matter what that means.”

"You don't give yourself enough credit, Dean, and it's ultimately up to Cas to decide what he deserves. All you can do is talk to him, and there's no reason you have to go to Scotland right away. Stick around for a few days just to see how he is, and then go." Sam knew they were nearing his house and he didn't have much more time to talk sense into Dean, so he cut straight to the point. "Don't hold both of you back because you're afraid of what's going to happen. Cas loves you - even if he's not _in_ love with you, which is a ridiculous concept, but whatever... he still loves you. Trust him enough to tell him the truth."

“Alright, I will.” Dean deflated, already feeling some weight lift. “I’ll tell him. Thanks, Sam. Should I wait though?”

“Yeah, just... make sure he actually went through with it first, and if he did, give him a chance to talk through his shit. But don’t chicken out, Dean. Honestly, even if he’s still planning on getting married. I’d never condone homewrecking, but I’ve also never seen someone unhappier in a relationship than Cas is. I think he needs the boost.”

They pulled up to Sam’s and Dean nodded. “Okay. Go shower, you stink.”

Sam pulled Dean into a one-armed hug, shoving his face into his armpit. “You don’t smell much better, jerk. Might wanna shower yourself before you tell Cas.”

“Fuck off.” Dean shoved him away with a huge grin. “Get out of my car, giant.”

As he drove home, he sniffed his shirt and laughed. _Definitely need to go home first._ But he wasn’t as bad as Sam. At least he showered before the drive. 

Sam lived about thirty minutes away, and when he was finally pulling onto his street the exhaustion was kicking in hard. _Maybe I should nap first... yeah definitely. Shower, nap then Cas... but what if he’s busy? Ah hell... is that his car?!_

Cas had lost track of how long he’d been waiting there for Dean, but he was cold, tired, starving, and so relieved to finally see his car that he could have collapsed right there. He stood quickly, wrapping his arms tighter around himself until Dean slammed the car in park and got out. 

“Cas!” He saw his bags and grabbed him to pull him in. “You did it?” Dean tightened his grip, not wanting to let go.

All the resolve left in his body deserted him in a single whoosh, and he melted into Dean's arms. "Yes. I did it, Dean. I called off the wedding, I'm never going back."

“Good.” Dean whispered and then finally pulled away. “Come on, welcome home.” He picked up Cas’ bags and led the way inside. “You want to shower? Only got one bathroom but you can go first.” He reached out and touched his scruff. “Not bad, baby face.”

Every ounce of Cas wanted to kiss Dean - to kiss him over and over again until every shitty thing that had happened in both of their lives melted away, but he reminded himself that calling off his own wedding didn't miraculously make Dean his. "Yes, okay. I'll go first."


	5. But It’s Better If You Do

It seemed like the most natural thing in the world to shower with Dean sitting on the counter. Cas knew the shower curtain hid mostly everything, but it wasn't completely solid which meant he knew Dean was at least getting a rough idea of what was happening. He flashed back to Vegas and how turned on he'd been watching Dean, and couldn't help but wonder if Dean was feeling something similar.

Dean was trying his hardest not to peek but Cas was right there… and _naked._ He wanted to rush in there, pick him up and fuck him against the wall until- no... Dean couldn’t think like that. Cas just broke off his damn wedding. “So... you wanna talk about it?” Dean leaned his head back to stare at the ceiling, anything but the shower curtain.

The water felt amazing on his skin and he turned around to let it beat against his neck as he considered his answer. He owed Dean the truth, even if it made him feel like a coward. "I didn't even speak to him. I left a note."

“Shit... think he’ll come here?” Some part of his brain wanted him to try, just so he could kick his ass. But the other part never wanted to see him again. Dean stole a glance at Cas’ silhouette and bit his lip. He really needed to get laid, and all he wanted was Cas.

Cas was in the process of trying to clean some... sensitive areas, and the reminder that Dean was so close only woke him up. He bit his lip and closed his eyes, allowing himself one single stroke before dropping his hand and searching for the shampoo. "No, I don't think he will. I'm not sure he'll even care, to be honest. I always felt like a trophy to him." He cursed the way his voice came out so breathy and just prayed Dean didn't notice.

Dean’s head tilted at how Cas sounded but he didn’t dwell. “You _are_ a trophy, Cas. That just isn’t all you are.”

He didn't know what to say to that, but the undeniable eroticism of the situation had him rinsing the shampoo out of his hair quickly and shutting the water off before he did something incredibly stupid. "Um... can you pass me a towel?"

“Yeah.” Dean hopped off and went to grab one, shoving it inside with his head turned the opposite way. He wanted nothing more than to see Cas naked, but he definitely wouldn’t be able hold back if he did.

Cas took it and wrapped it around his backside before stepping out of the shower. Maybe it was bad form to leave himself exposed like that, but it didn't matter... because Dean wasn't looking anyway. He folded it the rest of the way around him and cleared his throat, feeling like a fucking perv for even trying something that crass. "Thank you. I'll... get out of your way?"

“No let me, sorry.” Dean realized he was standing there and moved out the way to get ready for his shower.

Now Dean wasn't looking at him at all, even with the towel. He sighed and stepped toward the door. "You hungry? I could make something while you shower, I know you had a long drive."

“Always. Thanks, Cas.” He pulled off his shirt and started on his pants, finally looking at Cas. His eyes roamed his exposed chest and Dean nearly walked over and kissed him then. “Should we nap after?”

"I think we both could use it, but honestly? I need a drink. Or a bottle... or five. I know you're exhausted though so you can sleep if you want, I don't mind drinking alone."

“Drink alone? You crazy? I’ll be right out.” Dean took off his pants and made his way to the shower. Cas looked so angry and exhausted, maybe now wasn’t the right time.

Cas made his way downstairs and grilled up some cheeseburgers. They were quick, easy, and Dean loved them... there was no way he'd find a better combination. When Dean came downstairs, they were done and already on plates. He handed one to him, his insides squirming about how good Dean looked fresh out of the shower. "Here, hope this is okay."

“Okay? This is perfect. Thanks, sweetheart.” Dean walked over to his liquor cabinet and pulled out a bottle of whisky and scotch. “Take your pick.”

He actually whined quietly at the name and dropped his forehead to the table. "Whatever's the strongest. Please."

“Pfft.” Dean put the whiskey back. “Great Scotch!” He laughed at his own pun then pulled out glasses, poured them some, and nodded towards the couch. “Let’s get comfy.”

Cas carried the food while Dean carried the drinks, and Cas made a point to sit close to the center of the couch. Regardless of how Dean really felt about him, Cas always felt more comfortable when they were making some sort of contact. "Should we watch the second one?"

“Sure.” Dean got it ready and then sat down, their legs pressed together and they ate in comfortable silence. Once they finished, Dean grabbed their glasses and held Cas’ out. “To new beginnings?”

"To new beginnings." Cas touched his glass to Dean's and then took a sip, squeezing his eyes shut at the burn and downing the entire contents. "I'll... replace the bottle." He leaned forward to pour himself another one.

Dean followed suit. “Don’t be silly. You think that’s my only one? Since when do we have to replace each other’s stuff Cas? This is your home now.”

His heart swelled at the thought of Dean being so accepting. Cas hadn't even asked to move in, and Dean just... knew. "I really don't know what I did to deserve you, Dean. You're incredible. Thank you." He smiled warmly at him and realized how needy he probably looked, so he averted his gaze and took a slower sip.

Dean was just lost in those blue eyes and instantly felt the loss when he looked away. He downed drink number two and coughed. “Oh, somethin’ crazy happened...” he thought of Michael. “Somethin’ else. I won property in Scotland.”

"You what?" Cas was determined not to let Dean outpace him, so he polished off his drink and poured them each a third. "How did that happen?"

“Well if my memory comes back, I’ll let you know. All I know is I was playing poker, ended up in some hotel room and won.” He shrugged and took a smaller drink.

Cas didn't, because all that did was remind him of Cole. He wasn't a huge drinker and knew he should probably pace himself, but he'd just set fire to his entire life - he deserved to get trashed. "What are you going to do with it?"

“Think I’m gonna go check it out... w-wanna come? I mean, could be fun.” _Please say yes. Please say yes._

"Seriously?" Cas couldn't hide his smile, and his cheeks were adorably flushed from the alcohol. "I'd love that, especially now that I'm not getting a honeymoon." His expression fell slightly, but one look at Dean erased every negative thought in his head. "Yes, of course I'll come."

“Awesome! It’ll be better than that honeymoon would have ever been. My treat.” Dean held out his glass again, much more excited. “Gonna need some help... getting _on_ the plane though.”

Cas chuckled quietly and tapped their glasses, then once again finished his off like he wasn't already seriously feeling it. "Don't worry, Dean. I'll keep you safe."

Dean finished his and sat back, loving how he was feeling already. “I know. I trust you.” He eyed Cas and licked his lips.

It would take an idiot not to notice the hungry look on Dean's face, and Cas was anything _but_ an idiot. He huffed, setting his drink down and turning to fully face Dean. "Can I ask you something?"

“Course. Anything, Cas.”

_Don’t. Don’t do it. Don’t ask him, don’t-_ “Why didn’t you look? In the shower, I mean. I know I don’t look like Cole, but... have you really never thought about it? Not even once?” He hated himself for asking, but he had to know. Once and for all, he needed to know. 

“I didn’t have your permission to look.” He sighed. “My turn...” _Should I ask..._ “Why’d you really call off your wedding, Cas?” Dean stared into his eyes, searching for the truth.

Cas should have seen that coming, but the question still took him by surprise. He rubbed the corners of his mouth and dropped his eyes. “It was actually something Charlie asked me. She told me to picture my perfect husband, and if Michael wasn’t the one that came to mind, I shouldn’t go through with it.” He felt silly putting it like that, like he was a schoolgirl, but it was the truth. “And obviously, he didn’t even come close... so here I am.”

“Yeah, I get that.” Dean leaned forward and poured another drink. He hoped Cas would say for him, but he didn’t. He shot it back and poured another, sitting back with a groan. “Well you deserve better than that guy on his best day.”

He reached forward to grab Dean’s drink from him and drained it, knowing he only said half of what he’d intended. Cas winced from the sting in his throat and coughed into his elbow, clenching the empty glass a little too tightly. “Someone else popped into my head when she asked me, Dean. I wasn’t done.” _Fuck it. Why shouldn’t I tell him? Knowing Dean, he’ll just be flattered and we’ll move along like nothing happened._

“Excuse me for filling in the silence. By all means, continue.” He tilted his head and leaned forward. “Who popped in your head, Cas?”

It was suddenly very hard to breathe, and Cas swallowed thickly as he started to panic a little. “M-Marty McFly.” _Fuck! That’s not-_ “Shit. No, that’s... you did.” The last bit came out in a rush but now the words were hanging between them and it was too late to take them back. _Please don’t hate me._

Dean grinned when he said Marty, thinking Cas was joking but then he changed his mind. “I did? I’m your perfect husband?” He digested this information. “Cas, I... you’re mine too.”

A thousand things tried to run through Cas’ mind but the scotch was making it hard to pinpoint any of them. “You mean that? Don’t fuck with me, Dean, I’m a little bit drunk and I’m afraid I’m hearing things.”

“Why do you think I’ve been single so long, Cas? I’ve been in love with you for like... an _embarrassing_ amount of years. I’m not fucking with you, I would never.” Dean reached out and touched his face. “Fuck, Cas.” He couldn’t wait even one more second, Dean pulled him onto his lap and kissed him.

Cas lost himself in that kiss. Relief and love and years of what he’d _thought_ was unrequited desire came crashing over him, and he never wanted it to stop. 

When he finally pulled back, they were both flushed from more than just the alcohol and Cas cupped Dean’s face, letting out a surprised huff of a laugh. “I love you, too, Dean. I always have, I think that’s why Michael hated you so much. I think he always knew he’d never have me the way that you do. No one ever will.”

Dean huffed a nervous laugh. “Yeah... there’s also the fact that I told him I loved you the day I met him. That was why we really fought.” It felt good to finally tell Cas the truth. “Sorry I lied. I just... felt like an asshole.”

His eyes widened and for a minute, he felt betrayed. Not by Dean, but by Michael. _Okay, maybe by Dean a little bit, but I didn’t tell him, either._ “Oh.”

Dean looked away. “I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to be the asshole that ruined a relationship, even if I hated the guy.” _Good going, Dean. Five seconds in and Cas is already pulling away._

“I just wish you would have. I don’t know what I’m going to do now, I...” Cas trailed off, shaking his head to try and clear some of the fuzziness in his brain. _I almost married him._ “Would you have let me go through with it? Would you have let me marry him?”

“Yes.” He answered honestly. “I would have, because I thought you were in love with him. When you said you weren’t, I didn’t even know what to say but I came home from Vegas, ready to tell you the truth. Regardless, it would have been your choice, but I was going to tell you. I’d be friendzoned forever if it meant I was still by your side.”

Cas nodded and brought his lips to Dean’s again, electricity and hope and sadness surging through him all at once. The past didn’t really matter, because they were here now and had all the time in the world.

Dean’s hands ran up his back as his tongue pressed against Cas’ lips. _Let me in, baby._ He didn’t want to push him, but now that they were here, he needed more.

He shivered, opening for Dean and savoring the taste he’d imagined a thousand times. It was mostly scotch, but it was still _Dean._

Dean couldn’t help but moan, kissing Cas was everything he’d hope it would be and more. He gripped his ass and rutted against him slightly, unable to help it.

Cas whimpered and dropped his head, sucking gently on Dean’s neck as he rolled his hips. He’d never wanted anything so badly in his life, and he was terrified to say a word in case it made Dean stop.

Dean gasped and gripped Cas tighter, rolling his hips and baring his neck. “Ah shit, sweetheart... that’s my sweet spot.” The words had Cas thickening rapidly and pressing against Dean’s lower stomach as he continued, lightly pinching the skin between his teeth and flicking his tongue over it before moving to another spot.

Dean could feel Cas’ cock and lifted him slightly, so both of their hardened members were against Dean’s stomach and he rutted up into Cas. He knew Cas was tired, hell he was tired too. Maybe they were rushing it, but he couldn’t fucking stop. He’d dreamed about this moment for years.

“Fuck, Dean,” Cas gasped out, meeting Dean’s rhythm and gripping hard to the back of the couch. “Please, I want you so -”

_Knock knock._

Cas twitched, his entire body overheated and so turned on he thought he’d die if he actually had to stop. The knocking got more aggressive and Cas tried to stop Dean from getting up, panic pooling in his gut that it was probably Michael.

Dean stiffened and lifted Cas off his lap, setting him on the couch. “Stay over here okay?” He knew who the hell it was. He walked over, happy his dick went down enough to _mostly_ hide his arousal. He yanked the door open and eyed Michael. “Can I help you?”

“Yes, I’m looking for my fiancé. Rumor has it he was spotted sitting outside this...” Michael glanced around, “you call this a _house?”_

Cas knew he was a mess, his hair was sticking up and his clothes were sideways... not to mention his pajama pants weren’t hiding his boner at all. But at Michael’s words, he was pissed off enough that he didn’t care how it looked, he walked over to the door and crossed his arms. “I’m not your fiancé anymore, Michael. I left you.”

Dean stepped in front of Cas, not trusting Michael. “Come on, don’t embarrass yourself Mikey.” 

Michael looked Cas up and down and huffed a laugh. “Once a whore, always a whore right? Should have known better when you blew me the day we met.”

“Yes, well... I’m not your problem anymore.” Cas was seething, but he knew that none of this was worth it and he just wanted Michael to leave.

“It doesn’t appear that you’ll be his, either.” Michael couldn’t believe he’d actually lost Cas to Dean, but it wasn’t over yet. Cas could still be made to see reason. “Look at you, Castiel. You’re a wreck, and Dean doesn’t even look turned on. No one will ever want you the way that I do.”

Dean scoffed. “You don’t know shit, bitch. How could I be turned on when there’s a fucking rat on my porch. Scurry on, I think you learned your lesson the last time. And that was me was holding back.” Dean could feel the anger clouding his judgement. If this prick said one more word, he was going to lose it.

Michael chuckled darkly, knowing that one day, Cas would come crawling back. “You’ll learn your lesson soon enough.” He eyed them both for a moment and then turned on his heel, whistling as he strode back to his car. He tapped the hood and paused, “He likes it rough, like the good little bitch he is. Enjoy him, Dean. You two deserve each other.” 

Cas’ face burned with the truth of that as Michael got into his car and peeled away. He folded his arms over his chest and practically ran back toward that bottle of scotch.

Dean slammed the door and locked it, pissed off that he didn’t punch the asshat but also worried about Cas. He didn’t want to hear that from Michael, he wanted to figure Cas out all on his own. He wanted to take an entire week to kiss and fuck Cas in every single way until he could read him like a book. Michael knew what he was doing, he wanted to take that from Dean. He made his way back to Cas and took away the cup of scotch, kneeling before him. “You okay, baby?” He asked, touching his face gently.

“I’m... tired.” It was the closest Cas could come to explaining the tightness in his chest and the weight on his shoulders. Here he was, burdening Dean by moving in, and now he was bringing trouble to his door. “Thank you, Dean. For everything, and I’m so sorry about all of it.” He was drunk and sad and the latest round of getting worked up and cut off before he found any release wasn’t helping. “Can we sleep?”

“Yeah... course.” Dean stood up and backed away. “I have a guest room but... you want to... um.” He scratched the back of his neck, not wanting to pressure him. “I have a king size bed... the foam kind that remembers you.”

Cas blamed the alcohol for the sudden rush of gratitude and emotion he felt at such a simple offer, but there was nothing he wanted more than to sleep next to Dean. He pushed himself unsteadily off the couch and reached out for Dean’s hand. “I’d prefer to stay with you... if that’s okay.”

Dean beamed and took his hand. “Awesome. You’ll like it, it’s like sleeping on a cloud. Come on.” He pulled Cas towards his room, still grinning. He wasn’t about to let Michael ruin anything. Yeah, he ruined the sex that Dean was sure was about to happen, but he wouldn’t ruin _them._ He opened up the covers and patted the mattress for Cas to lay down, then cuddled up behind him, hoping Cas wouldn’t mind. “This okay?” He put his arm around Cas and nuzzled the back of his neck.

The mattress was better than advertised, but Cas did have one small complaint. “Almost.” He rolled to face Dean, squirming down a little so he fit better and wrapped his arm over Dean’s middle. He wanted to know it was Dean, not Michael or anyone else for that matter. “Is _this_ okay?”

“Yes. More than okay, sweetheart.” Dean kissed his head and laid his head down with a sigh. “Sleep good, Cas.”

And for the first time in months, he did. 

~~~~

Dean woke up with his face buried in Cas’ hair. He smiled, stole a kiss and slipped out of bed. Cas looked so fucking peaceful he couldn’t bring himself to wake him. 

Dean made his way downstairs and started the coffee pot, adding extra water for the sleeping angel. Plopping on the counter, Dean pulled out his phone to check flight prices. Cas needed a vacation and this was the perfect opportunity for it. He pictured Cas writing with his laptop out on the sunny grass in Scotland and grinned. Cas was always adorable, but when he was deep into a story, pounding away on his laptop keys… he was even more irresistible. 

“Shit is expensive as fuuuuckkk...” Dean sang to himself. “Wait...” There were a few tickets on a flight leaving tomorrow morning for almost $300 cheaper... _Cas already said he wanted to go, even before the kissing._ Before he could talk himself out of it, he bought them. Dean already knew all of Cas’ info so now, Cas just had to be on board... literally. 

He plopped off the counter and started cooking breakfast, he’d get some food in Cas’ belly, then tell him to pack... or rather, stay packed.

Cas woke up alone and in a strange room, and for a moment, he felt like he was back in Vegas. He blinked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he sat up to stretch. 

Truth be told, he felt amazing - like he’d actually gotten real, legitimate rest. That feeling only compounded when he realized he was in Dean’s bed, not some random hotel in Vegas. He sucked in a breath as the night came back to him. 

_The endless wait for Dean to come home._

_The hug._

_The shower._

_The almost sex._

_Michael._

_And Dean... Dean loves me._

Cas grinned like a dopey, sleepy idiot and flopped back down onto the pillow, yanking the blanket back up. He was never leaving this bed, never leaving Dean’s house... 

But the smell of bacon filled his nose, overpowering the soft scent of Dean all over the sheets. He got out of bed and palmed over his unusually intense morning wood, then made his way downstairs. “You’re up early.”

“Morning gorgeous. You need meat... like in your mouth. Dammit, in your belly. Ah fuck just ignore me.” _Smooth, Dean. Way to start the morning._ He didn’t know why he was nervous, maybe it was the fact that Cas looked so damn adorable. Or the fact that he just came down from _his_ bed. Or maybe the fact that he was about to tell him they were going to Scotland... _tomorrow._ Whatever the reason, Dean was nervous.

“Both, if you wouldn’t mind.” Cas blushed even as he grinned, not used to making jokes like that. He wandered toward the food and stole a piece of bacon, and then eyed Dean as he chewed. He wanted to touch him so badly it was insane, and not just because of the boner he woke up with. “Can I...” Cas cleared his throat and lifted his arm, reaching out toward him.

Dean’s smile widened and he stepped into Cas’ space. “Course.” He couldn’t help it, he leaned in and kissed him, tasting the bacon on his lips.

Cas immediately opened for Dean, moaning quietly and closing his eyes. If this was going to be how he woke up every morning, getting out of bed wouldn’t be so horrible.

Dean pulled away, thanks to the stupid bacon. “Go sit and get comfy, hashbrowns are almost done. You ever notice how it says to cook for 8 minutes and that shit never works. What kinda soggy ass hashbrowns are people eating?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever successfully cooked hash browns in less than 20 minutes.” Cas sat down, scooting his chair in and letting his mind wander. He got way too worked up over that kiss, and if he didn’t learn how to control himself soon... things were going to get messy. 

Maybe literally.

“Speaking of false advertising, why is it called an instapot? Shouldn’t it be a minutepot? Because it’s not instant. I sold mine because it was a liar.” Dean could get lost on a random topic at any point in time, and the distraction from his boner helped. As bad as he wanted Cas, he didn’t want to be some rushed decision he regretted. Plus, fucking for the first time in a new country sounded awesome.

“I... don’t know.” Cas considered it, letting out a soft _huh_ sound. “I don’t know, because ‘minutepot’ actually sounds better. And you’re right, it would be more accurate.”

“I bet you minute men ruined it.” He chucked at his own joke. _Who are you kidding? Watch, you slide into Cas and blow your load in less than a minute._ Dean actually blushed at his own inner monologue and turned to grab them drinks.

The food was delicious, and by the time they were done laughing and eating, Cas felt a little more in control of himself. He insisted on doing the dishes because he lived there now. “Consider me your maid, at least until I can sell this next novel. I’ll even get the little outfit and everything.”

Dean’s eyes widened and he sat up straighter, his knees _almost_ knocking. “Uh... yeah. Um... sounds fucking hot Cas.” He nearly whimpered. _Why are we waiting again?_

He’d been kidding, but the look on Dean’s face was starting to change his mind about that. “You... you’d like that?” It occurred to Cas that he had no idea what Dean preferred, because they’d barely ever talked about sex or relationships.

Before he could even consider the answer, his head automatically nodded. “Y-yeah.” Dean cleared his throat. “I think I would.”

Cas palmed himself, ignoring the fact that his hand was still wet from doing dishes and nodding. “Yes, okay. Then I’ll get one.”

Dean took a deep breath and walked over to stand behind Cas. He boxed him in and nuzzled the back of his neck as he pressed his erection into Cas’ ass. “Does it feel like I would like that?”

“Yes,” Cas whispered as he gripped the counter. “Yes, it does.” He bit his lip and reached for Dean’s hand, pressing it to his own crotch. “Does it feel like you’re the only one?”

Dean gripped Cas’ cock and pulled their bodies even closer together, his hips moving in a small circle. “Fuck Cas...” He couldn’t even remember why he considered waiting for stupid Scotland. Cas was right there, and Cas wanted him too. Dean rutted again, groaning at how perfect Cas’ ass felt.

He pushed back against Dean, breathing heavier and tilting his head to kiss him. They’d already been interrupted once, and Cas was going out of his damn mind with how badly he wanted Dean.

“Cas, I need to...” Dean pulled on Cas’ pants, hoping he understood what he was asking. “Just wanna feel your ass on me, please.”

The sound that worked its way out of Cas’ throat was ridiculous and he nodded quickly, helping him push his pajama pants and boxers down to the middle of his thighs. “Do whatever you need to do, Dean. Just promise me you won’t stop this time. _Please.”_

“I’ve got you, sweetheart.” Dean took deep shuddering breaths against Cas’ neck and he reached around to grip Cas’ bare cock for the first time, spit-slicking his own and sliding between Cas’ thighs.

Cas squeezed his legs around it, too distracted by that calloused, amazing hand finally touching him to be disappointed that Dean wasn’t actually buried inside of him. He moved tentatively, testing the amount of space he had before Dean slipped out but he lurched forward too far and groaned. “Sorry, fuck-”

“S’okay.” Dean adjusted again and kissed along Cas’ neck, slowly finding a rhythm again while stroking Cas’ cock.

He dropped his chest to the counter and moaned, knowing if he kept letting Dean kiss him like that he was going to be done for. As it was, he was already making an effort not to come, Dean’s hand was incredible and just knowing Dean was fucking his thighs was such an insane turn on. Cas got louder, reaching down to slow Dean’s hand a little bit and outright squirming from how close he was.

Dean grunted and bent over to lean his forehead against Cas’ shoulder blades. “Fuck...” He was getting close despite the almost uncomfortable friction, and he was too far gone to be embarrassed about it. “Come for me, Cas.”

Cas barely had time to pull the front of his boxers up before he was coming all over them, whimpering Dean’s name from how fucking amazing it felt to finally let go.

“Ah, fuck!” Dean felt Cas’ come on his hand and lost it. “Gonna come, Cas.” He came on Cas’ thighs and when he pictured _his_ come running down _Cas’_ legs, he came harder.

The sensation made Cas shiver and cry out, grateful the counter was supporting his weight. “Holy... shit.”

Dean panted and huffed a laugh, his left hand gently running up Cas’ thighs to his hip. “Holy shit is right. You made me a minutepot.”

Cas let out a laugh and bit his lip, wiggling his ass a little bit. “I gave in first.”

“I begged you to. I was already at the edge.” Dean sat up and pulled back to look at the mess “Sorry, you might want to shower again, sweetheart.” He reached out and squeezed Cas’ perky ass and licked his lips. “Fucking beautiful.”

He stood up slowly, hesitating a moment before pulling his come-soaked boxers back up. It felt a little gross if he was being honest, but also... it was both of them. _Together._ Rubbing against his ass and his balls as a reminder that he wasn’t crazy and that had really just happened. “Imagine how much more beautiful it will be if we can ever hold off long enough for you to actually fuck me.”

Dean’s cock twitched pathetically as he tucked it away, making him whimper. “I hope that’s soon, because I already want you again.”

“We’ve got time.” Cas turned, sad for a moment that Dean had put his pants back on before he could even look, but he’d also done the same. “I should go take a shower, as hot as this is... I have a feeling it’s going to get uncomfortable very soon. I don’t know if I’ve ever felt this much...” for some reason, he was struggling to say the word _come_ out loud in front of Dean, “... before.”

“Yeah sorry about that.” Dean blushed and averted his gaze. “I haven’t had sex in months.”

Cas kissed him sweetly, brushing his nose against Dean’s. “It’s been over a month for me, although I thought it was going to happen in the strip club. I kept imagining I was Cole...”

“Did you notice my eyes were closed? Because I was picturing _you_ and almost came.” Dean chuckled. “Go get clean, got something to tell you.”

Not ready to leave just yet, Cas wrapped his arms around Dean and kissed the base of his throat. “Now we don’t have to picture each other... like I’ve been doing for years, by the way... we can just have each other.” He hummed quietly and reluctantly pulled away, walking a little awkwardly from the mess in his pants. “I’ll be back soon.”

Dean watched him go with his bottom lip between his teeth. “You’re still hot even when you walk like that.” He grinned and then pulled up their itinerary to print it.

He showered as quickly as he could and dug out some clean clothes from his suitcase. The shirt he chose was clinging to his skin because he didn’t bother to dry off all the way, but he couldn’t bring himself to care because he was wildly curious about Dean’s news. He made his way back to the kitchen and ran a hand through his hair. “Tell me, before I spontaneously combust.”

“Ready for more already?” Dean teased, unable to help himself. He kissed Cas and then handed him the papers. “Maybe don’t unpack yet?”

Cas’ eyes drifted over the page and he looked back at Dean, confused. “This says tomorrow. As in... we’re leaving _tomorrow.”_

Dean flashed a wide, innocent smile, with way too many teeth showing. “Remember how cute you thought I was a little bit ago?” _He can’t be mad after that, right?_

“I always think you’re adorable, it’s actually kind of a problem. But Dean…” Cas stared at the pages again and then took a deep breath, trying not to freak out. “I called off my wedding. I have florists to cancel and guests to inform… I didn’t realize we’d be going so soon.” 

“I’m sorry. I can cancel.” He fidgeted with Cas’ shirt. “Or... we can take today to call all of it off? Let me help you. Tell me who to call.”

Cas smiled, leaning in to kiss him. “Fine, but that means _you_ get to tell my mother.” 

~~~~

The following morning, Cas stood with Dean in the airport with the same suitcase he’d been lugging around for five straight days. He could sense Dean was already getting nervous, so Cas slid his hand in his and squeezed gently. “It’s okay.”

Dean tensed as he heard a plane take off. “Do they have to be so loud?” He held on tight to Cas’ hand, not wanting to let go. _This was a bad idea. Fuck that property._ “You sure we made all the calls we needed to? Maybe we should just postpone? Yeah let’s go.” Dean tried to pull Cas toward the exit.

“Dean,” Cas soothed. “Come here. Look at me.” He waited until Dean reluctantly turned around, and pulled him close. “I’m right here, you’re not alone. We’re going to Scotland... it’s mostly _your_ fault I’m not getting a honeymoon, after all.”

Dean stared into Cas’ eyes and sighed, leaning in to press their foreheads together. “I’m not sorry about that, sweetheart.” He closed his eyes and mirrored Cas as they took deep calming breaths.

When Cas was sure Dean was calm, he kissed him gently - not sure he’d _ever_ get used to being allowed to do that - and stayed close as they boarded the plane. “Will it make you more comfortable to sit by the window or the aisle?”

“Aisle...” Dean held a tight grip on Cas’ hand and let him lead the way. As soon as they sat, the stewardess walked by and he waved her over. “We’re on our honeymoon, is there any booze on this flight?”

Cas’ stomach flipped and he grinned wider than he intended, but it felt incredible… even if it wasn’t true. The stewardess started listing Dean’s choices and Cas interjected in his best Harry impression, “we’ll take the lot.” 

Dean laughed and the stewardess giggled. “No trolly’s here, and unfortunately we have a limit on alcohol. If you’re newlyweds, let’s play a game and I’ll pour you a double for the price of a single. What’s your husband’s choice of alcohol? If you both get it right, you win.”

They both said ‘whiskey’ at the same time, and the stewardess laughed. “You know, some people don’t get that.” 

Cas leaned forward and quickly added, “Wait, wait. Does pie filling count as a drink? If it does, _that’s_ Dean’s favorite.”

“This plane has pie?!” Being this nervous had the joke going completely over his head, but he would drink some damn pie right now if he had to. 

“Aww, I’m sorry, honey. We don’t. Nervous flier?” She flicked her eyes between them and the glasses as she filled them up, smiling to herself at the cute newlyweds. 

“No, he just really loves pie.” Cas nudged Dean and laced their fingers together, completely unable to wipe the happiness from his face.

Dean attempted to make a _pfft_ sound but it came out much smaller than intended. He took the drink and shot it back instantly. “All good, we’re good. Thanks.” He flinched when they closed the cabin door.

The stewardess left to check on the other passengers and get ready for takeoff. If memory was serving Cas correctly, Dean would be okay once they were in the air but takeoff and descent were rough. “How’s Sam? I didn’t get to talk to him very much in Vegas.”

“Who? Oh, he’s fine. Met a chick in Vegas and got laid.” He remembered Sam talking about it and chuckled, but his mind instantly went to what they did in the kitchen the day before and he had to sit up to adjust his body. “Don’t let go?” He squeezed Cas’ hand, staring into his eyes. “Please.”

“Dean, I’ve wanted to hold your hand and have it mean something more than just friendship for roughly a decade. I’m not letting go until you force me to.” Cas plastered on a smile, hoping that didn’t come off as creepy as he feared, and held Dean’s hand a little tighter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand we’re halfway... let’s go to Scotland!


	6. House Of Memories

The flight was insanely long, and landing was a virtual nightmare. When their feet were safely back on the ground, Cas pulled Dean into a hug. “Just so you know, we’re going to have to stay here unless we can take a boat home.” 

“Damn right. At least we gotta house right?” Dean grinned and kissed his temple. “I probably should have done more research on this place huh?” He looked around the airport.

Cas was naturally a nervous person, so the fact that they were in an entirely different country without a plan was a little jarring to him. “Yes, it might have been wise. Do you even know where it is? How to get there?”

Dean’s eyes shifted and he shrugged. “I thought I could just put the address in my phone and we would follow the directions.” He realized how incredibly stupid this entire idea was. “Shit, I’m sorry. I’ll figure it out.”  _ Please don’t be mad at me, Cas. _ Dean was trying to be romantic and spontaneous, and now he just felt dumb.

“Hey,” Cas said softly. “We’re in one of the most beautiful countries in the world,  _ and  _ I get to kiss you whenever I want. I don’t really care what else happens. We’ll figure it out, I’ve never met someone more resourceful than you.” 

Dean smiled and kissed him. “Come on, let’s go see this beautiful place and kiss all day.” He pulled Cas along and was able to get a taxi. The drive would be over an hour, but at least they were in a car and able to sight see the entire time.

They annoyed the hell out of their poor driver, but Cas didn’t care. Michael couldn’t bother them where they were, no one could - and that was a freedom he hadn’t had in a long time. When they finally arrived, the driveway was blocked by an iron gate. The driver let them out and Cas examined the padlock on it while Dean grabbed their bags. “Are you sure this is the right address, Dean?”

“Um... yeah. I called the number and told them to unlock it yesterday morning.” Dean pulled out his phone, getting a little worried.

Cas eyed the fence and shook one of the posts. It seemed sturdy enough, so he tested his weight on one of the lower rungs and heaved himself up. He climbed quickly, regretting his decision immediately when he got to the top and had to maneuver his body over the spikes.

“Cas! I shoulda tested it.” Dean worried about him but once they got the bags over he quickly followed. He wasn’t about to let Cas go over there alone.

“You looked worried, so I went for it.” Cas dusted himself off and looked to his left. All he could see were woods and a gravel driveway that disappeared between the trees. “This isn’t creepy at all... let’s go.”

Dean walked so close to Cas their arms were brushing the entire time. “We survived the plane, we got this.” He checked out the structure of the house as they cleared the trees. “I didn’t expect it to be so big... ha that’s what she said.”

The first thing Cas noticed was the absolute horror movie vibe coming from the place. It wasn’t decrepit by any means, but the turret alone was enough to give him chills. It had kind of a gothic feel and there was yet another iron fence around it. Cas approached it warily and yanked on the padlock, which was open. “Guess this is the one they opened for you?”

“Dickhead. Let’s go check it out, house key is under some skeleton looking pot and someone is coming tomorrow morning with papers.” Dean led the way up to the double oak doors and looked around for a skeleton. He found a skull filled with weeds and was relieved when he found a key. “Place is creepy, let’s just stay together, okay? We have to do a walk through before we even attempt to get settled.”

Absolutely none of this seemed like a good idea anymore, but Cas followed just the same. He’d follow Dean anywhere. 

The front door took some coaxing to open and when it finally gave way, Dean stepped through with Cas right behind him. The place looked normal enough on the inside; it was quaint and a little dusty, but at least there weren’t bloodstains.

“Am I the only one wondering why Gavin was willing to part with this place?” Cas asked, taking a moment to check out the high ceilings and crown molding. “With a little bit of work, I think it could actually be beautiful.”

Dean was trying his hardest to act fine. The last thing he wanted was to worry Cas more than he already was. “Yeah... maybe he really thought he’d just win my car.” He glanced at Cas’ confused face and shrugged. “I was blackout drunk and bet my car. I don’t... one of the stupidest things I’ve ever done.” Dean looked at the grand staircase and smiled. “Place is awesome.”

There were sheets covering the furniture in the living room, and Cas was expecting something horrible when he lifted them - but the couches seemed to be in decent shape despite the dust and the tables were made of solid oak. “At least it’s fully furnished. I was sort of expecting an empty shell.”

“I was expecting... not any of this.” They uncovered all the furniture, sneezing and coughing the dust away. “Maybe he was just sick of paying rent for a place he wasn’t living in?” He approached a photo of a pretty red headed woman and dusted it off. “Think it was her house?”

“He wouldn’t have been able to trade you the deed if he was still paying rent here, or a mortgage.” Cas approached him and glanced at the picture. “Might have been? I don’t know. I think the first thing we need to do is get all of this junk out of here.”

The instant the words left his mouth, they heard a thud upstairs. Cas’ heart jumped into his throat and he gripped Dean’s arm. “What the hell was that? Was someone supposed to meet you here?”

“No.” Dean straightened up and picked up a fire poker. “Stay behind me okay?” They made their way upstairs, searching every single room for something that could have made that noise.

Only one door was closed, the rest were ajar or had no doors at all. Cas swallowed as they approached it. “This is normally the part where people yell ‘hello,’ but it’s never a good idea.”

“Yeah... it isn’t.” Dean twisted the handle just enough and then kicked the door in, stepping inside the room to prepare for a fight. But it was empty. “Okay...”

Cas followed slowly and looked around, his heart beating a little too fast for his liking. He clutched the back of Dean’s sleeve and attempted to tug him backward. “Come on, let’s... check out the other rooms up here. It’s really cold in this one.”

“It is, huh? Alright, let’s close this one up.” They walked out, and Dean walked around looking for a thermostat he knew didn’t exist. “It’s going to be a cold night. Thank god I have you.” Dean pulled Cas in and kissed his cheek.

He curled into Dean and hummed quietly. "Yes, it's a good thing. Does this mean you're not going to make me sleep in a separate room, like I did to you in Vegas?" he grinned.

“Hell no, Cas. You’re staying right here. Or on top of me, anywhere touching me.” He smiled and pulled him in again.

Cas tilted his head to kiss the front of his throat and slid his hands under Dean’s shirt. “Should we figure out where we’re sleeping then?”

“Funny you think we’re sleeping.” Dean grinned, only halfway joking, he had a feeling they’d struggle sleeping in this creepy house. 

“Dean, we just flew for about a million hours. We both need showers, food and a nap.” It didn’t escape Cas that they still hadn’t had sex, but they really did need those things. “We’ll have plenty of time.”

“Okay. We only have snacks, really, so we’ll have to find a grocery store or something tomorrow. Let’s go find our room and shower.” Dean interlocked their fingers and led the way, giving Cas the opportunity to flick his eyes from shadow to shadow.

They checked in each room for the master suite and were starting to think there wasn’t one until it occurred to Cas that there was a door back in the scary room that might have been a bathroom. “Um... Dean? I think... I think the cold room is the one with the shower.”

“Goddammit, it would be, huh? Fuck...” Dean gripped his hand and turned in a half-circle. “Alright, let’s just go shower together and then sleep in a different...  _ no _ t-cold room. Or maybe down by the fire?”

There was something romantic about the whole thing, so Cas found himself nodding. “Hell, as long as you're with me... I’ll even sleep in the cold room.” He kissed him sweetly and then had to let out a laugh at how ridiculous they were being. “It’s not like ghosts exist anyway. It was probably just a draft that closed the door.”

“Right. It had to be. We locked the door, there’s nothing or no one else in here, we’re fine. But... just stay by me just in case.” Dean didn’t know what he was feeling, but he felt so  _ damn _ protective of Cas, he always had.

Cas nodded slowly, absolutely loving that side of Dean. “I wouldn’t dream of getting very far away.” He smirked slightly and then took Dean’s hand, leading him back downstairs to where their bags were. There was a guest bathroom on the main floor that had a shower in it - it was small, but at least it wasn’t in the cold room. 

It occurred to Cas as they were stripping that he was about to get his first real look at Dean’s cock. He could still remember the feeling of it sliding between his thighs, but they hadn’t looked. Suddenly, he wasn’t sure he wanted it to happen just yet. “Dean? Would you mind terribly if I got something thrown together for dinner while you showered?”

Dean stood there with his thumbs in his boxers, he was seconds away from stripping completely naked. “Um... but I’m worried about you.” He didn’t want to be apart, but maybe it was irrational. “No... okay. Swear, scream at the top of your lungs and I will be there in seconds. Okay?”

“Of course, Dean. I know you will, but I truly don’t think we have anything to worry about.” He leaned in to kiss Dean quickly and then bolted out of the room. He couldn’t explain why, but he wanted the first time he saw Dean completely naked to be their actual first time. 

Dean frowned, but then decided he should just hurry up and shower. He stripped the rest of the way and turned on the water, waiting for it to heat up impatiently. He peeked his head out before climbing inside. “Still good, sweetheart?”

Cas yelled back that he was fine as he fixed up a snack for them. Dean hadn’t been wrong, they’d barely brought anything and a quick glance through the cupboards and fridge told him that Gavin hadn’t exactly stocked the place.

Dean jumped in and cleaned off as fast as he could. He was too cold to walk around naked, so he quickly got dressed and made his way to the kitchen, his hair still wet. “All done, everything okay?” 

“Yes, I’m fine.” He turned to admire Dean’s damp body and pulled him in, running his hand through Dean’s hair to make it spike. “You look adorable.”

Dean smiled and kissed his cheek. “Thanks, I’m all yours.” He wrapped his arms around Cas. “You always look adorable.”

“Of course I do. It was all part of my master plan to make you love me without me saying a word... just be as cute as possible as often as possible.” Cas grinned and gestured to the plate of beef jerky, nuts and chocolate. “I already had some. Go ahead and eat, I’m going to shower.”

“Okay.” Dean kissed him and grabbed the plate to start eating. He wished there was some  _ actual _ friggin meat on that plate instead of just jerky, but it would have to do.

Once Cas was in the shower, Dean walked over and sat on the floor next to the door - he just didn’t want to be far from Cas. He ate his food and then unfortunately, slumped over and passed out. Dean didn’t need much sleep, but sometimes, his brain would check out and demand he sleep.

Cas was eager to get back to Dean and didn’t stall in the tiny shower. He dried and dressed quickly, then nearly tripped over Dean’s limp body as he made his way back out. “Dean?!” Panic rose in his chest, he thought maybe something happened or Dean had been attacked. He dropped to his knees in front of him and quickly checked for a pulse, relaxing almost instantly when Dean snored.  _ Holy shit.  _

He shook Dean gently to wake him up. “Dean, let’s go to bed.”

“Cas...” He smiled sleepily and pulled Cas in to hold him, still flirting with the borderline of consciousness. “Better than any dream,” he mumbled against Cas’ neck.

It was borderline unbelievable to Cas that they’d managed to hold off from this for so long. He was content to lay on that dusty old floor with Dean for the rest of time, and just a week ago, he’d been prepared to marry someone else. “As cute as you’re being right now, I really think we’d be better off in bed. Come on, I’ll help you.” He stood slowly, helping Dean to his feet.

Dean woke up more with each step towards the stairs. “Did we even choose a room? I think we should sleep down here, by that fireplace. I can get it goin’.” He wiped his face and then looked around for something to burn that didn’t involve him going outside.

“Don’t be ridiculous, there were several spare bedrooms on the second floor. Let’s go sleep up there, and then tomorrow if you want, we can gather some firewood and sleep down here.” Cas laced his fingers with Dean’s and tugged him toward the stairs. He grumbled but followed, and Cas pointedly walked past the cold room despite it being the biggest. 

He ducked his head inside of a couple of smaller rooms and chose the one with the smallest window, assuming they’d sleep better without the sun shining into the room. It was definitely warmer in there, but the whole damn house gave them both the creeps. They snuggled into the bed and Dean instantly pulled him closer. Cas was reminded not for the first time that they  _ still  _ hadn’t had sex - but exhaustion tugged at him and he knew it wasn’t going to happen then, either. 

“Hey, ‘snot so bad,” Dean mumbled. “Bed’s actually pretty comfy.” The bed was honestly shit and smelled dusty, but being close to Cas after all those years of staying at arm’s length was better than all the memory foam in the world. He’d sleep on a damn bed of nails if it meant he could hold Cas while he did it. 

“Shh.” Cas kissed him softly and slid his leg between Dean’s and pulled the blanket up higher. “Goodnight, Dean.” 

Dean attempted to say it back, but his brain and body had both checked out for the night. It took him about eight seconds to fall back asleep, and Cas wasn’t far behind. 

~~~~

_ Clank. Clank. Screeeeeeeeech!  _

Dean sat bolt upright, panting loudly but quickly cutting off the sound.  _ What the fuck was that?  _ Cas was still curled up in a ball sleeping next to him and he didn’t want to wake him, but also didn’t understand how the guy didn’t wake up to that. 

_ Tap tap tap tap TINK!  _

“Shit!” He glanced at the ceiling and flipped the blanket off of him. It sounded like the noise was coming from the attic - but he hadn’t  _ seen  _ a fucking attic, had he just missed it? His body was buzzing with adrenaline, and he used the extra kick of courage to get out of bed and flip on the flashlight on his phone. 

The noises sounded like they were getting further away, and now that Dean was more alert he realized it was metal smacking against metal. His mind jumped to all sorts of wild-ass conclusions like ghosts with heavy chains or some kind of demon butcher, and he was pretty sure he wasn’t going to be able to fight off either one of those with nothing but a damn cell phone. 

“Pipes, Dean.” Cas sat up slowly, thoroughly enjoying the look of flushed, disheveled Dean in the middle of the night. “It’s just the pipes, this house is old. Come back to bed.” 

Dean was glad the little-girl scream that had been building in his chest remained silent, because Cas speaking up scared the life out of him. He chuckled nervously and turned around, offering him a sheepish grin. “Hey, a little outta my element here. Thought someone was breaking in.” 

“It’s okay, just come here. It’s a lot colder without your body heat.” Cas opened his arms and curled his fingers like a child would when trying to reach for a parent. He didn’t care how ridiculous it looked, if there was one thing he learned in the last several days it was that not making some sort of physical contact with Dean was borderline painful. “Please?” 

Ghosts or not, Dean wasn’t capable of resisting Cas like that. He took one last look at the door and ceiling and crawled back into bed, turning his flashlight off and snuggling close. “Sorry I woke you up, guess I’m just not used to creepy Scottish architecture.” 

Cas chuckled quietly, running his hand over Dean’s body and kissing him, half-asleep again already. “I forgive you, that just means I get to wake up to you twice.” He kept his eyes closed but wasn’t quite finished, so he brought his lips to Dean’s again. Part of him wanted to keep going, to  _ finally  _ get Dean inside of him, but a larger part of him knew he’d want to be fully alert for that. “Sleep, Dean.”

“How am I supposed to sleep when you’re kissin’ me like that?” Dean’s body was absolutely awake thanks to that adrenaline spike, and having a sleepy Cas touching and kissing him definitely wasn’t helping him calm down. He wanted him just like this, lazy and comfortable, and it was gonna be a miracle if he managed to stop himself from taking it. 

A soft, rumbling hum worked its way from Cas’ chest and he slid his hand down, palming Dean. “Oh, you want me? I’m barely awake, but by all means,” he pulled up just enough to get his hand underneath Dean’s waistband until he could fully wrap his hand around him, “have me.” 

Cas’ hand was warm and inviting and Dean tried to stop himself from rolling his hips, but failed miserably. It felt so good, so damn intimate and his mind couldn’t get past the fact that  _ Cas  _ was the one touching him like that. “You sure?” 

“Promise me you’ll let me taste it, and yes.” Cas rubbed his thumb over the tip of Dean’s length and smiled at the whimper that came out of Dean. It was strange, it felt like their roles were somehow reversed in the small hours of the morning - but Cas was in that wonderful place between reality and dreams where he was feeling a little more confident than normal. 

Dean shuddered and moved the blanket, regretting the moment Cas’ hand left his length but knowing exactly how he wanted this to go. He pushed Cas’ pajama pants down and mouthed over the half-chub he found there, which quickly started to thicken. “Want you to come in my mouth, Cas. Wanna feel it on my tongue, okay? Just stay right where you are.” 

The words did their job and Dean sucked Cas’ hard cock into his mouth, beginning to gently fist his own. Cas squirmed, loving the feel of Dean’s mouth and let out a quiet moan that only spurred Dean on. He sped up his hand and took him deeper, stretching his lips and tucking his teeth as Cas started thrusting up. 

By the time Cas let go and Dean swallowed him down, he was ready to fucking explode. Dean lifted off and shimmied forward until he was straddling Cas’ chest, using his legs to pin Cas’ arms to his sides. Cas eagerly opened his mouth, the feeling of being held down only heightening his senses. “You want this, Cas? God, you taste so damn good I almost blew all over the damn sheets.” 

“Please, Dean,” Cas whined. The sound pushed Dean right to the edge and he gripped Cas’ hair, tugging his head up and shoving his cock in that perfect, pretty mouth. Cas’ tongue swept under his tip and Dean shuddered hard as he released, thrusting gently but fucking  _ deep  _ as his cock pulsed and emptied. 

He hissed slightly as he pulled out, but the kiss that followed was worth it. They fixed their pants as they licked into each other’s mouths, chasing the taste of themselves on each other’s tongues. Cas was a mess, clinging to Dean and kissing all over his face when Dean attempted to lay back down. He laughed quietly, his heart full enough to burst. “Cas!” 

“What?” Cas froze, breathing heavily and looking at Dean with sleepy eyes. “I love you, Dean. I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of touching and kissing you.” 

Dean didn’t really have words to explain what went on in his chest at that, so he kissed him again and pulled him close. “Good, because I love you too and I’ve waited a damn eternity to have you kiss me like that.” 

They both heard the angry clanking of the pipes, but neither one cared. They had each other after  _ years  _ of waiting, and even if it was a ghost prisoner or a demon butcher, they’d face it. 

Together.

~~~~

The next morning, Dean slept in while Cas got up to made some coffee. Dean was  _ still  _ slumbering after he finished cup number two, but Cas didn’t want to wake him. He knew how traumatizing planes were for him and figured Dean deserved the rest, but there was absolutely nothing in the house to make for breakfast so he shot Dean a text and ordered an Uber, which he was surprised to find even existed over there. 

He rode into town and did some shopping, realizing only as he went to pay that they never thought about currency exchange. Cas dug around in his wallet for the only credit card he had in his name and prayed it didn’t have some extravagant foreign transaction fee, and then took his groceries with him on a walk around the small town. There was a corner store that advertised currency exchange, so he swapped what little cash he had for pounds and once again ordered an Uber. 

Dean was awake when he got back and drinking the rest of the coffee. “Hey, I’m glad you were thinkin’ ahead, I’m starving.” 

“Here, I bought donuts.” Cas pulled the box out of the bag and shoved it toward Dean. “I figured you wouldn’t want to wait to actually cook, but I bought enough stuff to feed us for a few days.” He explained about the money as well, and Dean’s shoulders visibly relaxed. “So, we can order takeout now and actually tip the drivers.” 

It took a minute to swallow that first donut, which was probably a good thing - Dean was ready to gush for an hour about not knowing what he’d do without Cas. “Yeah, you did awesome, Cas. Thank you.” 

Cas wasn’t finished yet, he pulled out a phone book and set it on the table. “I also got this, I figured you’d want to call around and speak to some people regarding this place. Lawyers, contractors, that sort of thing. Have you thought at all about what you’re going to do with it?” 

He sighed, it was too damn early to be thinking about life-changing decisions. “Not really. Figured I’d spend a couple of days checkin’ the place out. Figure out if it’s worth more to me if I keep it or sell it, but from what I’ve seen, it’s gonna take some work either way. Might be better off just leavin’ the deed on the table and headin’ home.”

_ Home  _ was such a foreign concept to Cas at that point that he frowned. He knew Dean said he could move in with him, but honestly, he didn’t want to be anywhere near his old life. “Might be a nice vacation spot either way. The town seems nice enough, and so are the people… if you can get past the accents.”

Dean didn’t miss the hesitation in Cas’ voice. “Yeah. Gavin called while you were gone, he’s on his way over. Little shit wants to get the deed notarized and all that, so I don’t think my option for just leaving it will work out anyway.” He tapped his fingers on the table and popped another donut in his mouth. “‘e’ll ‘e ‘ere in ‘ike ‘wen’y ’inutes.” 

Cas just stared at him, and Dean swallowed, smiling sheepishly. “He’ll be here in like twenty minutes. Sorry.”

“You’re an animal,” Cas said with a grin. He couldn’t help it, he knew talking with one’s mouth full was supposed to be considered rude, but Dean even made  _ that  _ adorable. “But, I’ve found this trip has given me some inspiration, so I’m going to take some coffee out to the little balcony off the master bedroom and see if I can’t get some writing done. Will you be okay with Gavin without me?”

_ No, probably not. Don’t have a damn clue what I’m doing.  _ “Course, Cas. Wouldn’t want to disrupt your muse.” Dean winked and pushed himself out of his seat. “I can always come get you if I need you, but the guy seems harmless. Probably just wants rid of this place cause it’s haunted as shit.”

Cas rolled his eyes and stood up, maneuvering around the table to kiss him. “It’s not haunted. It’s just… got character. I’ll put the groceries away and get out of your hair.” 

Dean was pretty sure he’d never get used to being able to kiss Cas whenever he wanted, and he fully intended on taking every opportunity to do so. He gripped Cas’ hips and spun them, caging him against the counter and swallowing the moan it drew with a deep, messy kiss. He tipped their foreheads together, breathless, and ran his hands over Cas’ sides until he was fisting the fabric at the bottom. “This day needs to go by quick, I think I’m gonna die if I don’t get that ass soon.” 

Words failed Cas; he brought his fingers up to touch Dean’s face and grounded himself there. “I want you too, Dean. We’ll get there.” 

“Yeah. Okay, I’m gonna grab some firewood and shit before he gets here. I saw some blankets in the hall closet upstairs, make sure you take one out with you if you’re gonna sit outside. It’s cold.” Dean bit his own lip and took a step back, letting his eyes devour Cas now that he no longer had to pretend he didn’t check him out every goddamn day. “Don’t get eaten up there.”

Cas barked a laugh and started loading the fridge and cupboards. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

~~~~

Dean was skeptical as hell when it came time to actually sign the deed. Gavin had brought a notary with him  _ and  _ a lawyer, and he was just insanely grateful Sammy answered when he called. He’d put his brother on speaker and let him ask all the questions, and by the end, Sam seemed reasonably convinced that there was nothing funny going on. Dean, on the other hand, wasn’t so sure. 

“Why the hell do you want rid of this place so bad that you’re willing to give it away for ten bucks?” 

Gavin just shrugged and muttered something in an accent so thick Dean couldn’t make the whole thing out, but he got the vibe the dude just owned too many properties. He stalled forever and a day before signing the damn thing; it actually took Cas coming down and assuring him that no matter what happened, they’d face it together before he put his name down. 

  
He couldn’t shake the feeling he just took on a helluva lot more than he bargained for, but they’d all assured him there were no outstanding loans or bills of any kind that could come back to bite him in the ass later. The place had been abandoned since the lady that lived there died, and Gavin just didn’t wanna dick around with being someone’s landlord. 

That prospect opened some doors for Dean. It would be a little difficult to manage a property from across an ocean, but if he managed to find someone that could keep up with the place on their own, it  _ might  _ work, if he could get the place in shape. Their little one week vacation was looking like it was gonna be a lot longer, and he wasn’t sure how long Sam and Benny would be willing to run things without him while he got everything set up over here. 

All that meant was undue, unnecessary stress, so by the time Gavin and his tag-alongs finally left… Dean was tense. They’d taken the deed with them to file with some kinda Land Registry, so he couldn’t really fuss over the piece of paper that might’ve just changed his life. That left his brain and his hands without anything to focus on… except for Cas. 

“Come here.” He pulled Cas to him and into his lap, then gently kissed him. “You’re not allowed to move for the next three hours, okay?” 

Cas huffed a laugh but squirmed to get more comfortable. He could definitely think of worse ways to spend an afternoon, so he wouldn’t complain  _ too  _ much. “If you’re honestly expecting me to stay still once you start  _ poking  _ me, you’re insane.” He kissed him again, lingering there a little longer as Dean’s hands slid up his back and gripped his shoulders. 

But that’s exactly what he did. Cas sat in Dean’s lap with his face nuzzled against Dean’s neck while Dean looked up contractors and hardware stores on his phone, making notes about who to call and things he needed to check out. Cas’ weight comforted Dean and kept him grounded, and being so surrounded by Dean gave Cas a level of calm he hadn’t known in years. 

He fell asleep twice there, both times leaving little tiny wet spots on Dean’s shirt. The first time it happened he’d been embarrassed, but the sweet, loving kiss he got from Dean told him he didn’t have to be embarrassed about anything ever again. The second time, he just made Dean take his shirt off. 

It continued like that until Cas was completely naked on Dean’s lap and sucking on his neck, rolling his hips over Dean’s still-covered crotch. Dean was having an  _ extremely  _ hard time focusing, but got the feeling Cas wanted the chase, so he refrained from flipping him over right then and there. He could hold off just a little longer if it meant Cas was so worked up he was  _ begging  _ for it by the time they actually got to it, and it was quickly looking like he was gonna get his wish. 

Cas rutted against Dean’s bare stomach, his cock already leaking as he bit down on Dean’s neck. “Please, Dean. Put your phone down.” 

That’s all Dean had been waiting for. He tossed his phone on the recliner a few feet away and wrapped his arms around Cas, pulling him down as he thrusted up. He’d been hard for a solid half hour, and Cas gasped as he felt it through Dean’s jeans. “Want you so bad, sweetheart. Gonna finally let me have it?” 

“Yes, Dean.” Cas scrambled back, off the couch and to his feet. His cock was thick and full, and he grimaced at the line of precome dripping down Dean’s abs as he stood to meet him. It was hotter than hell, but really… Cas was starting to feel bad. 

Their lips met again as Dean started backing them toward the stairs, but a loud crash from above them had Cas whirling around and covering his crotch. “I thought they left!” he squeaked. His clothes were clear across the room, and he’d been naked and writhing on top of Dean for god knows how long.  _ What did they see?!  _

“They did, Cas. Hours ago. Go grab a blanket or something, I’m gonna go check it out.” Dean was scared to death, but he’d be damned if he was gonna send Cas up there  _ or  _ let whatever the hell was in the house get to him. He could be brave… for Cas. 

Cas half-heartedly protested Dean going up there as he slid on his jeans without boxers. The denim was rubbing against him and he couldn’t tell if it was amazing or horrible, but there wasn’t much to be done about it either way. He followed Dean quickly, catching up to him at the top of the stairs. 

Dean extended an arm to stop Cas from going past him. “Pretty sure it came from the room we slept in last night, just stay behind me.” Cas death-gripped his elbow and Dean steadily moved forward, wishing he’d have grabbed something other than the fire poker this time for protection. 

He reluctantly turned the knob and bumped the door with his hip so it swung open, the poker raised like a baseball bat ready to swing. The whole damn bed had collapsed, the frame at the front split clean in two. “What the hell?” He lowered the makeshift weapon and stepped inside, shivering from a sudden drop in temperature. “Jesus, wasn’t this room warm last night?” 

“Yes, it was.” Cas wrapped his arms around his bare torso and stuck close to Dean, checking out the rest of the room for any signs of something amiss. The only things that suggested something was wrong were the bed itself and the biting cold. “Maybe it was the wind?” 

“Wind, Cas? Seriously? The window’s shut and the door was closed! Couldn’t have been the damn wind. This place is friggin haunted, and we need to get the hell outta here and go home.” Dean had seen about enough for a lifetime, and he no longer gave a shit how much money he spent to get over there in the first place. 

Cas sighed and walked around him, lifting up the sheet and taking a look at the wooden frame. “Look, termites probably got to it. I bet us sleeping in it last night didn’t help, but it took a few hours for the wood to finally give out. There are other bedrooms, we’ll just have to pay closer attention next time before we pick one.” 

‘Skeptical’ was an understatement, but Cas’ explanation made more sense than a ghost running around breaking beds and Dean absolutely wasn’t ready to get back on a plane yet. “Nah, I got that firewood earlier. We’re sleeping downstairs, grab as many blankets and pillows and shit as you can. We’ll build a fort, it’ll be fun.” 

That thought sounded pretty good to Cas, so he nodded and gathered the ones off that bed and threw them down the stairs. A few minutes later, they’d stripped all four beds and made their way back to the main floor to put them by the fireplace. 

Neither one of them was really in the mood for sex anymore, which was a damn bummer to Dean and almost a nightmare to Cas, but it was dinnertime anyway. Cas cooked some spaghetti while Dean went out to get a closer look at the foundation of the house, and then they ate in relative silence. 

After they cleaned up, Dean built a fire and put the finishing touches on their little fort, then crawled in and motioned for Cas to join him. 

“Um… hold on a second. I need to grab a couple of things, I’ll be right back.” Cas ignored Dean’s confused expression and darted up the stairs to grab a towel. He checked the bag they’d dragged up there and didn’t find what he was looking for, so he took the steps two at a time going back down. Five minutes later, their bags were basically strewn all over the floor and he was  _ still  _ no closer to finding what he was after.

Dean had watched with slight amusement until it looked like Cas was actually getting frustrated. “Cas? Uh, sweetheart… you know I appreciate a good mess as good as the next guy, but you mind tellin’ me what you’re doin’?” 

“Lube, Dean. I want you to fuck me in front of that damn fireplace, but I can’t find the lube! Did you not bring any?” 

His cock immediately woke up at that, and he knew he’d made damn  _ sure  _ he packed some, so he got up to help Cas look for it. Dean didn’t have any luck either, though, and after pointlessly checking the cupboards just to make sure they hadn’t accidentally stashed it somewhere, he heaved an exasperated sigh. “What the fuck… it was here somewhere, I swear.” 

The prospect of going  _ another  _ night without having Dean inside of him nearly unraveled Cas, but it was too late at night to go to the store and they didn’t exactly have another trustworthy option laying around. “It’s okay. We’ll… get some tomorrow, let’s just get some sleep. 

It wasn’t a very satisfying end to a frustrating day, but as they laid entwined in front of the crackling fire on a cloud of pillows and blankets… they figured it was close enough. 


	7. Golden Days

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to get the salt...

Dean woke up unbelievably hard. Not having sex with Cas _right_ there was torture. _Where the hell is the lube? Not only is there a friggin ghost, but the dick is a cock block too?_ He rolled on his back and let Cas continue to sleep in his arms. 

Eventually, nature called, and Dean maneuvered out of Cas’ grip and sat up, taking in the room for the first time. 

“What the fuck! Cas! I told you! This fucking place is haunted! Look at the damn furniture!”

Waking up wasn’t something Cas was particularly interested in, let alone doing so to Dean yelling about ghosts. He sat up, rubbing his eyes and muttering, “What?” 

All Dean did was point an insistent finger toward the rest of the room, and Cas’ eyes reluctantly followed it. Things were decidedly _not_ how they’d been left the night before; the recliner was on the other side of the couch, the table was upside down, and the floor lamp was placed in the middle of it. 

“Dean...?”

Dean was still pointing, and finally dropped his hand. “Cas... please tell me you move furniture in your sleep?”

“Not that I’m aware of.” Cas blinked in disbelief, thinking soon his eyes would adjust and everything would be back to normal. “Are the doors still locked? The... windows?”

“I’ll check.” He stood up, walking slowly to check everything and hitting the bathroom on the way back. “Yup, everything. I’m tellin’ you, Cas. This place is haunted.”

Cas moved closer to Dean, gripping his wrist and pivoting slowly, his eyes glued to the ceiling. “You realize that’s insane, right? There’s... there’s no such thing as ghosts.”

The remaining flames in the fireplace whooshed out behind them, and Cas nearly jumped into Dean’s arms. “Shit!”

Dean’s grip on Cas tightened but he stood tall. “Listen here, Casper. Just give us our lube back and you can watch, deal?”

Cas rolled his eyes but didn’t argue, if that’s what it took... that’s what it took. “Dean, I’m fairly certain if it _is_ a ghost, they’re going to watch either way.”

“Well... now they have permission. I don’t know, I’m doin’ the olive branch thing... am I using that right?” He whispered, Dean didn’t extend any damn branches often. “Any chance you’ll leave?” He called out in an uncertain tone, a crash upstairs gave his answer. “They didn’t seem bothered about the watching part.” He gallic shrugged.

A heavy sigh pushed its way past Castiel’s lips. “Do you blame them? Have you seen you?” He looked around, slowly letting go of Dean’s hand to fix the furniture. “Okay, so it’s a ghost. Fine. At least they don’t seem to be malicious... just... horny?” _Because_ **_that’s_ ** _not the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard, or anything._

“Hey man, I feel you.” A photo fell off the wall close to Dean, making him jump. “Woman?” 

_Silence._

“Okay, maybe it’s a chick?” Dean started helping Cas with the furniture and with a combined, awkward effort they managed to get the table upright again. 

“So... it’s a ghost, a woman, and into live-action amateur gay porn? If that's the case, why did she take our lube? I hope she wasn’t expecting me to take you dry.” _Screw it, if this is a joke, it’s a joke. Might as well have fun with it._ “Of course, at this point... I might make an exception.”

“Maybe she wanted us to get creative?” Dean did an obscene tongue movement and dropped his end of the couch. “You hungry?” He rubbed his stomach. “We need food.”

The last thing on Cas’ mind was food, so he waited until Dean turned away from him and then rubbed his crotch. The thought of that tongue anywhere near his body was making his already present morning wood just a little bit harder to deal with. “I… need to pee. I’ll cook breakfast when I come back out… perhaps you can see if our ghost friend is a fan of bacon,” he muttered as he walked into the bathroom. 

Dean chuckled and pulled some stuff out to clean. “At least Gavin took care of the place right?” He asked their ghost. “You like bacon?” She didn’t answer so he kept hand-washing the pan.

Cas came out a few moments later, his erection only partially under control. “You don’t have to do that, Dean. I said I’d cook. I need the distraction, or the fact that we still haven’t had sex is going to eat me alive.”

Dean grinned and turned, showing Cas _his_ erection. “I’m not doin’ so well over here either, sweetheart.” He walked over and pulled Cas in for a kiss, his boner rubbing against Cas’.

A throaty, low moan worked its way from Cas and he gripped Dean’s hips, grinding a little harder against him. “Then give it to me.” He worked his way down Dean’s body, kissing over the fabric until he was on his knees and looking up, biting his lip. “Please?”

“It’s yours Cas. All yours.” Suddenly there was a clanking down the stairs and Dean glanced over and saw the lube roll at the bottom. “See, she’s on our side.”

Cas flushed, the thought of being watched by a specter their first time was... well, it was weird, and he hadn’t exactly signed up for that. “Dean.”

“What?” He shrugged with a grin and walked over to grab it. “You did say please...” Dean pulled his bottom lip between his teeth as he reached Cas.

“And you’re just... okay with the fact that there’s a dead person watching us?” Cas didn’t move from his position on his knees, knowing damn well that he needed Dean inside of him, no matter what hole or who was watching.

Dean gallic shrugged and tilted his head. “I don’t like how you just worded it, but I kinda don’t care at the same time. I need you or _I_ will be the next dead person.”

Cas reached up tentatively to tug Dean’s pajama pants down. When he saw what was waiting for him, everything else disappeared and he leaned forward, sucking him in slowly.

Dean gripped the counter and groaned. Cas absolutely had the lips of an angel. “God, that mouth. Cas, I need to open you up.”

His entire body shuddered and he took Dean as deep as he could, swallowing around him before pulling back off. “Are you finally going to fuck me, Dean?” Cas tried to keep the sheer fucking desperation from his voice, but he knew from Dean’s expression that he failed.

“Absolutely yes. Stand up, babe.” Dean reached down and helped him up, slamming their mouths together as he undressed Cas.

Cas was a mess, tugging at Dean’s shirt and outright whining when they had to pull away from each other long enough for Dean to take it off. Cas’ hands moved over every inch of bare skin until he was gripping Dean’s length and rubbing the tip against his own stomach.

Dean had never been so damn turned on before. He leaked on Cas’ stomach and rutted against him. “Let me see that ass.”

He flipped around, leaning over the counter far enough that he could present himself to Dean. He remembered the last time they found themselves in this position and how desperately he’d wished then that was getting exactly what he was about to get now.

Dean leaned down to tease with his tongue. _Ghost wants a show, ima give a damn show. Maybe she’d stay a nice ghost?_

“Shit!” Cas squirmed, wiggling his ass to get more of Dean’s tongue. He wanted Dean so bad he couldn’t see straight, couldn’t focus on anything other than how bad he needed it.

Dean chuckled and grabbed the lube, sliding in a finger while he nipped and sucked on his asscheek.

Cas flattened himself down and placed his fist between his forehead and the counter. His cock was achingly thick, but Cas wouldn’t touch himself until Dean was finally inside of him. “Hurry, Dean. I’ve been waiting too damn long for this.”

“Be patient, Cas. I don’t wanna hurt you.” He added another finger and nipped his hip, moving faster this time to show Cas he was just as desperate.

_Patience, if I had any patience at all we wouldn’t be doing this in a kitchen._ Cas groaned, throwing his head back and fucking himself on Dean’s fingers, still trying to speed up the process.

Dean couldn’t fucking take it anymore, his cock was leaking and pulsing in his left hand. He stood and kissed along Cas’ shoulders as he lined up. “Let me know if I need to slow down.”

“Please, Dean!” Cas gasped, rocking back and trying to spear himself. “Please, fuck, I need you. Fuck me.”

He practically growled as he slid the tip of his cock inside. “I’ve wanted this for so long, Cas.” He pushed the head inside with his forehead against Cas’ shoulder.

Cas stayed still for once, reaching behind him to grab Dean and hold him close. His breathing was already ragged with need, but he knew nothing would stop them this time and he could wait just a few seconds more. “So have I. Always.”

Dean nodded against his back and pushed more inside, groaning at how tight Cas was. He couldn’t form any other words but ‘fuck’ and ‘Cas,’ so he tried not to speak at all. 

_Fuck, it’s finally happening. Dean is_ **_finally_ ** _fucking you, bent over the damn kitchen counter._ Cas punched out a moan as Dean bottomed out and put pressure on Dean’s hip to stop his movement. “Wait, wait… don’t move. Wanna feel you…”

Dean hummed and started kissing his neck and behind his ear. “I’ll stay here as long as you’ll have me, Cas.”

“That’s a long time.” It was perfect, just like that. Dean’s cock buried deep and splitting him open, he might’ve been fine if Dean never moved at all. He turned his head to kiss him, pressing his eager tongue into Dean’s mouth.

The kiss turned hot and needy, and Dean’s hips began to move in a small circle. He didn’t want to move, but the desire in his gut demanded it. He _needed_ to fuck Cas.

Heat and need coursed through Cas and he pulled back from the kiss, bending over the counter and arching up on his toes to change the angle and take Dean just a little deeper. “Move.”

Doing exactly as he was told, Dean slid in and out slowly before finding his pace. He gripped Cas’ shoulders to get deeper, groaning in pleasure against his shoulder blades.

It was hard for Cas to do anything but let out tiny, hitched, ragged moans as Dean fucked into him. It wasn’t brutal or fast like he’d expected, it was measured, perfect, _right._ It was exactly what he needed… until it wasn’t. Cas felt his release building and growled low, reaching down to grip his cock and fisting it quickly, grunting as Dean picked up speed. “Fuck, that feels good. Just like that, ahh!” Cas dropped his head to the counter and squeezed his eyes shut as he clenched around Dean, right on the edge. 

Dean could feel him clenching and grunted as he continued the exact pace for Cas. “Come for me, baby.” His own orgasm was already building and he needed Cas to come first.

Cas shuddered as his cock pulsed in his hand. _Dean wants me to come for him. That’s Dean’s cock inside my ass. Dean Dean_ “De-” Cas nearly choked on nothing at all as he came all over the kitchen cabinets, the orgasm ripping through him and bowing his back.

When Dean peeked around Cas’ body to see the mess, he moaned. “Cas I’m close.” He sped up, fucking him rougher. “Wanted to come in your ass for... fucking... years. Cas!” Dean released inside of him, continuing to fuck him relentlessly.

He’d have come again if it hadn’t just happened thirty-seven seconds ago. The feeling of Dean’s hot spend filling him up was enough to make him grateful he had the counter for support; he was boneless by the time Dean stopped pistoning into him. “Oh, that... shit.” Cas pressed his cheek against the cold countertop and heaved out a breath, chuckling satedly. “If it’s going to be like that every time, I think it was worth the wait.”

Dean huffed a laugh and kissed down his back until he was sliding out of him. “That was... amazing, Cas.” _Like the best I’ve ever had... ever._

The chances of standing up straight were slim to none, so Cas stayed where he was as he felt Dean’s spend leaking out and coating his thigh. “I agree, absolutely.”

Biting his lip, Dean reached his thick finger inside to play with it. “Fuck... this is the most beautiful ass in the world.”

Cas moaned, the sound lower than it had a right to be. Something about that was so fucking hot, Cas’ cock was twitching where it hung heavy between his legs. He rocked back, biting down on his own arm to stop the second moan.

Dean chuckled and pulled out his finger, placing a light slap on Cas bubble butt. “Not done with that. But if I don’t eat soon, I might pass out.”

“This is why I bought donuts,” Cas mumbled, low enough Dean didn’t catch it. He stood, his ass already sore but he loved every second of it. “Should I bother putting my clothes back on, or do you think our friendly Scottish ghost voyeur would prefer we stayed naked? I’d prefer not getting come all over the wooden chairs.”

“I don’t know about her, but I vote naked. Casper? I mean... Casp...a?” He shrugged, trying to think of a girl ghost name. “Uh, knock once for naked and two for clothes?”

Silence. 

“I can’t believe you’re actually entertaining this. Twelve hours ago you were flipping out about cold rooms and rusty pipes, and now you’re asking a ghost if they’d rather have us be naked?” Cas raised an eyebrow as he wrestled one leg into his boxers, but there was a single, loud knock on the ceiling. Cas huffed and slid the boxers on the rest of the way anyway. “This is insane.”

Dean busted up laughing. “Hey man...” He laughed more and wiped his eyes. “She has good taste. I just wanna keep her happy until we can... you know...” He tossed a thumb towards the front door and made a clicking sound.

The lock snapped loudly into place on the door, and Cas mustered his absolute best bitchface. “This is your fault.”

Dean walked over, still completely naked. “Is it?” He tilted his head. “Are you mad at me?” He asked in an innocent sing song voice before kissing along his neck and face.

Cas gripped Dean’s hips and pulled him in, finding the irritation ebb away a little bit. “What happens if I say yes?”

He pursed his lips and hummed. “Then ima have to make it up to you.”

“Then yes, I’m extremely irritated that you invited a ghost to join us the very first time you fucked me.” _And, the fact that we have bedrooms and a fireplace fort and it happened in a kitchen._ Cas couldn’t really be mad about that if he was being honest, it was hot as hell and definitely one of the best experiences of his life, but he’d also imagined it going a lot differently. 

“Damn... I’m sorry, Cas. I couldn’t wait anymore. I promise next time will be better.” Dean kissed him and walked to go get dressed. He figured the best way to make it up was to google how to get rid of the damn ghost.

Cas frowned, he’d meant that to be playful. “I couldn’t wait either, Dean. I’m sorry, I was kidding. I didn’t mean to make it sound like I wasn’t happy with it, I was... just trying to see what you’d do to make it up to me. It was perfect.” He dropped his eyes to the ground and headed over to grab some food to cook for breakfast, hoping a change in topic would make him feel less like an ass.

“It’s fine, Cas.” Dean still felt bad about it but he couldn’t say he regretted it. Cas was still the best ass he’s ever been inside. “Check out this website.” He walked over with his phone. “Says ghosts hate iron, think that’s the deal with those gates?”

The screen was bright, but once Cas’ eyes adjusted to it he nodded slightly. “Actually, yes... although, I can’t fathom what good those fences are doing other than trapping it in here.”

“Yeah, maybe Gavin did that on purpose?” He shrugged and wrapped his arms around Cas while they scrolled the page. “What else can we use...” He kissed up Cas’ neck, already forgetting what he was doing.

The words blurred on the screen as Cas’ focus shifted to Dean’s mouth. He let out a quiet moan, tilting his head to expose his neck more. “Did... who on purpose?”

“What?” Dean’s mind was all Cas now, loving the feel of his skin against his lips. He nibbled under his ear and rutted against him. Nothing could’ve distracted them... except a damn ghost, tossing the phone from Cas’ hands.

Cas groaned, the weirdness of the situation not entirely doing much to help. “Where’s your car when we need it?”

“God, I miss her.” Dean dropped his forehead against his shoulder. “She probably feels I abandoned her.”

Unhappy with the sudden shift, Cas huffed. “Well, there was probably something on the phone that we can use... the ghost obviously didn’t want us reading further.”

“Probably. Get naked and distract her so I can grab it.” He chuckled at Cas’ face and shrugged. “What? You know she likes it.”

Cas rolled his eyes and bent over, grabbing the phone. He scrolled down the page, searching for anything useful. “Salt?”

“Salt?! We’re trying to get rid of it, not raise her blood pressure.” Dean looked at the phone and then went to the cupboard to search.

The phone once more clattered to the ground and Cas found himself a mix of afraid and irritated by it. He’d more or less convinced himself the entire thing was a dream, and he’d wake up tomorrow morning back in Michael’s bed or something. There was no way this - _any_ of this - was real. “Use all of it, I’m thinking salt is the key.”

Dean ran over and threw salt in the air around Cas, some landing in his hair. “Think I got her?”

Cas closed his eyes and slowly pushed his tongue out over his lips, trying to displace the salt. “No, no I don’t.”

Dean chuckled and walked over to dust his hair. “Oops. I thought she was by you when she took the phone.”

“It’s fine.” He brushed some more off his shirt and glanced at the container. “Is there any left, or did you use it all on me?”

Dean looked in it and shook it. “Still got some, and there was an unopened one too... well now we know you’re not the ghost, Scooby.” He raised his eyebrows and waited for Cas to laugh.

“Jinkies, I’d have never guessed,” he deadpanned. Dean was adorable though, so Cas cracked a smile despite trying with everything in him not to. “You’re a child.”

Dean laughed and shrugged. _Ima child and you love a child. What’s that say about you, jinkies?_ But he knew better than to say that out loud. “Alright so we salt the bitch.” 

_Crash!_

_Oops._ “She doesn’t wanna be called a bitch. Sorry!”

“I’m pretty sure she doesn’t want to be salted, Dean. Dump it all, the phone said the more you use, the more effective it is. I saw a shed out back, there might be some road salt back there. I’ll go look, try not to... well, just try not to hurt yourself.” Cas headed toward the back door to find his shoes, which were nowhere to be found.

“No.” Dean walked over. “I’ll go out and check, you stay here... no, wait. Let’s go together. They always separate in scary movies.”

Cas turned to face him, a slight frown on his face. “What happens if she locks us out? It’s not exactly warm outside, Dean. I don’t particularly want to be away from you under _any_ circumstances, let alone these ones, but…” 

“Then you stand with the door open and I’ll hurry. Talk about bees or something so I can constantly hear you while I search. Deal?” Dean started searching for his boots.

None of that sounded like a good idea, but Cas had known Dean for enough years to know he wouldn’t be dissuaded. “I’m fairly certain she stole our shoes, but I don’t think it’s wet outside. Just... be careful, there might be nails or something in the shed.” He couldn’t keep the worry from his voice, not that he was really trying. “Maybe we should find something else.”

“Nah, she’s obviously pissed about the salt thing for a reason. Hold that one and throw it on her if she fucks with you.” Dean kissed his lips and walked towards the door.

Cas snatched the container of salt as Dean made his way outside. True to their deal, Cas kept his gaze on the kitchen but yelled out a random string of facts about bees, stopping between each one to make sure Dean was answering him.

Dean found a few bags but only grabbed one, hoping it would be enough. He made his way back towards Cas and couldn’t help but smile at how cute he looked with the salt.

“Take your socks off, they look wet and I don’t want you to freeze. We should start a fire and test out the salt, maybe just around the living room?” Cas glanced at the web page and frowned deeply. “Dean, are you sure this is a legitimate site? What’s a ‘Salt Bae,’ and what the hell is Flavortown?”

“Cas... babe. How would I know if it is legitimate? I didn’t even know _ghosts_ were legitimate.” He looked back at the screen and chuckled. “That’s pretty funny.”

Most of the information seemed ridiculous, but then again… the entire thing had been ridiculous. Maybe a ridiculous problem required a ridiculous solution. “I’ll get the food, you start the fire. We’ll see how much salt it takes to keep her away from us.” 

~~~~

The next morning, Dean grabbed his cell and went back to that site. “Asperges Deum?!” He whispered and heard a loud _boom_ upstairs, his flinch woke up Cas. “Shit, I’m sorry.”

“Do I even want to know what that was?” Cas groaned, rolling over in the mess of pillows and blankets to face the fire.

“I said be cleaned by holiness... or your holiness? I don’t remember but she didn’t like it.” Dean kissed along his back lovingly. “Maybe we should make her pay rent?”

Cas hummed, relaxing a little bit. “Right now, I don’t much care what she does. We can go into town later, that site said something about sage. Maybe that will help.”

“Do people cook with that stuff?” Dean asked curiously. “Hey look...” he chuckled. “It says we should tell her to fuck off.”

Cas heaved a heavy sigh, rolling onto his back to yell, “FUCK. OFF.” After a moment, all the lights went out. “Yes, that worked quite well.”

Dean laughed loudly and kissed him. ”Good effort, babe.” Cas was so damn adorable.

“And now we’re without power. I hope you remembered to plug in your phone last night, because I sure didn’t,” Cas grumbled. “Is it wrong of me to be irritated that all I wanted to do was spend a week touching you in all the ways I’d fought over the years, and now we have to be Ghostbusters?”

“No, you have every right. But you can also touch me in all those ways too. We’ll salt a room, then fuck around in it.” He ran his hands down Cas’ stomach slowly.

Cas found himself raising his hips to chase Dean’s hand and growled quietly. “Don’t tease me, Dean.”

“Mmmm you want more, baby?” He rutted against him and reached into his boxers.

He was rock hard and thrusted up into Dean’s hand, tilting his head to kiss him. “It’s been nearly a week and I can count on one finger the amount of times you’ve been inside of me, so... yes.”

Dean grabbed the lube and returned to his spot. “Wanna be inside you right now, Cas.” He opened the bottle and didn’t take the time to warm it before pressing against Cas’ hole.

Cas hissed but didn’t flinch away, there was no way in hell he was gonna let some cold lube stop him. He spread his legs and lifted his hips in offering as Dean nibbled along his back, opening him up as gently as he could for how eager he was to be inside of Cas. “Ass is swallowing my fingers, baby. Need to be inside you.”

"So get inside of me, Dean." It already felt more like what Cas had envisioned for their first time, but even if it didn't, he was already way too on board to back out. He dug his shoulder into the mound of pillows and lifted his hips, inviting Dean's fingers deeper. "Preferably sometime very soon, before she comes back."

Dean chuckled and pulled his fingers out. “You got it.” After lubing himself up he nudged Cas’ hole and sunk inside.

A low moan caught in his throat as a Dean stretched him open, and Cas quickly wrapped his leg back around him to pull him deeper. When he glanced back over his shoulder, the light from the flames dancing over Dean’s skin made him look even more gorgeous than normal, and Cas had yet another moment where he doubted any of this was real.

Dean groaned and started sliding in and out faster. He reached around to stoke Cas and sucked on his neck, leaving a trail of small love bites.

The orgasm built quickly in his gut, threatening to release a decade’s worth of tension and need all at once. He clenched around Dean’s cock, whimpering quietly as he begged himself not to let go yet. “Dean...”

Dean sped up and he lifted Cas’ leg. “Come for me, angel.” Cas felt so damn good he could feel his orgasm building.

The angle had Dean fucking right into Cas’ prostate and he came with a weak, gaspy moan, clutching Dean’s side and tipping his head back.

Dean instantly followed. Moaning Cas’ name as he fucked through their orgasms. “I’ll never get sick of you... want you forever.”

That drew a throaty, sated chuckle from Cas. “While I feel the same, it’s also only been a week. I’m sure you’ll get sick of me eventually.”

“Not possible. I was obsessed with you before I ever had this ass. You’re stuck with me now.” Dean kissed his shoulder again and slid out.

There was a suspicious lack of ghost activity, but Cas was grateful for it. “Maybe we finally scared her away.”

“Musta been the salt. Who knew she was a sodium freak.” He rolled onto his back, not even attempting to clean them.

Cas rolled over and grinned at him, happiness spreading through his chest. He didn’t care about the ghosts, or where they were, or anything that came before. He watched Dean with a dopey expression and finally responded, “I don’t mind being stuck with you. I’ve been crazy about you since you defended my honor in high school, and it was enough to call off my wedding before I even knew for sure that you felt the same. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Right back at you. You know I almost asked you out in high school but I was a damn sissy about it. Just wasn’t ready to be out but man I used to jack off to thoughts of you.” He laughed at what he just admitted but wasn’t ashamed. “You think of me back then, too?”

He nodded, equally unashamed. “And just about every day since, even with Michael. He used to bend me over roughly every piece of furniture in his house, which was more than fine with me... it made it easier to pretend it was you.”

Dean thought that was the greatest shit ever. “Man... I did the same with all my partners. It was always you when I closed my eyes, Cas. Always.” Dean reached out and rubbed his cheek.

The absurd amount of time they wasted made his chest tighten as he leaned into the touch, but Cas reminded himself that they found each other in the end, and they still had a lot of time left to enjoy each other. He opened his mouth to say something else when the lights turned back on, making him pause and look up at the ceiling. “Hm. Maybe our resident haunter has a soft spot?”

“Seems so. We also gave her a good show just now, you know she likes when we...” He did an obscene hand movement like a child and then raised his eyebrows.

"You understand how ridiculous that sounds, right? The ghost turned our electric back on because she enjoyed our amateur porno?"

“Amateur porn is underrated, Cas. It’s all I watch... but that’s all the details you get about my porn preferences. Some things just go with us to the grave.” _New subject..._ “We should go to the store today.”

If Dean honestly thought that was going to dissuade him from relentlessly asking about his porn preferences, he clearly didn't know him very well. "No, tell me."

“We need salt. And some kind of chalk maybe for those sigils. And you know we need more food.” _Deflect Winchester! Deflect!_

Cas frowned deeply, his mind going to all sorts of borderline horrific places. Dean was never, ever shy about sex, so if he was being shy about porn, Cas truly wasn't sure he'd be able to handle hearing why. He nodded, standing up a little unsteady. "You're right. I'm going to jump in the shower, can you handle calling an Uber?"

“Yeah, I can handle it asshatt.” Dean slapped his ass. He felt kinda guilty and then blushed. “It’s just... comeshots Cas. Like... the more come, the better.” He blocked his eyes with his hand and laughed at himself, then added as he turned to get dressed, “and public places.” 

Cas had never been one for public sex, but he couldn’t deny he had a bit of a come kink himself. And for Dean, he’d do just about any sex act anywhere, with anyone watching. _Clearly._ He tried to keep his voice casual as he pulled on his pants. “And… would you like to act out any of those pornos?” 

Dean nodded quickly before his brain even processed the damn question. “There’s this... stall one...”

"I'm listening."

“Well.” Dean shifted a little and stood straighter. “The top is on his knees under the stall and the bottom is just bouncing on his cock until he fills him up.” He adjusted himself as Cas struggled to picture that particular act.

He squinted and tilted his head, running through different possibilities. “So, they’re in separate stalls then, right?” 

“Yeah... it’s like the effect of a glory hole. But better. You can grip their ass or just let them bounce on you. I’ve never actually tried it.” _Why did I even admit this?_ “Never mind.” He shrugged on his shirt.

Cas never wanted Dean to be embarrassed about sharing the things that turned him on, so he grabbed Dean's hand. "I think I'd like to try that, if you're willing."

Dean grinned and shrugged. “Y-yeah... I’m willin’. Especially since I know it’s you. I like the whole mystery idea, but I don’t wanna actually stick my dick in a mystery you know? I only want you.”

The concept of Dean sticking anything inside of a mystery made him shiver, and not in the good way. “Then yes, we’ll add that to the list of things to try in the very near future. But come on, let’s go get the things we need.” 

~~~~

Three hours later, they’d returned to the creepy house with enough food to last a week, sage, incense, chalk, spray paint, and enough salt to clog an elephant’s arteries. They’d also gotten gas and matches, although that fight alone was one of the reasons it had taken them so long. But if they accidentally burned down the house, Dean pointed out that it would _technically_ solve the ghost problem. 

Cas pulled up the article they’d been reading from and scrolled to the part about sage. “To use, simply light the sage and march through the house with a confident air, suppressing your urge to cough as the herbal smoke wafts about.” He set the phone down and huffed, watching Dean. “Are we sure the Daily Campus is a legitimate source of information? This sounds like a joke.” 

“Course it all sounds like a joke. We’re livin’ in a bad sitcom, Cas.” He paused from writing some ridiculous markings on the wall. “Shit. What if we like... call forth Satan or some shit?”

“Then we’d have much bigger problems than our peeping tom Casper.” Cas deadpanned.

_Clash!_

“Cas. It’s Casp _a,_ remember? She’s a peeping…” He gallic shrugged as he struggled to think of a name. “Peeping Amy? I dunno, don’t quote me.” Castiel didn’t argue, simply because he knew neither of them knew what the hell they were doing anyway.

By the time they got the house “warded” and the stinky sage burning, they were beat. They put a salt barrier around their makeshift bed and laid down, both staring at the ceiling. 

“You think this will work?” Cas whispered. 

Dean shrugged. “Dunno… why are we whispering?”

“I don’t know, actually.” Cas whispered back and they both laughed way harder than merited. 

“I love you, night, baby.” Dean kissed his head, unable to see the huge grin on Cas’ lips.

“Goodnight, Dean. I love you too.”


	8. Let's Kill Tonight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who you gonna call?

There was very little sleep to be had that night. Maybe an hour after they dozed off, the ghost decided it would be a fantastic idea to flood the upstairs bathroom, which was situated right above where they were sleeping. Cas blinked his eyes open as water droplets smacked him in the forehead. 

“Dean.”

“Hmm?” Dean asked, seconds before a drop fell on his face. “The hell, Cas. Couldn’t wait for me?” It took a second for his brain to register that the drop was cold, and much too runny for it to be from Cas. He opened his eyes and looked around.

“Hilarious, Dean. Truly.” Cas pushed himself to his feet and squinted at the ceiling, trying to make out what was going on in the dark. “I’ve known you long enough to know you can fix nearly anything. Are you, by chance, also a plumber?”

“Have you seen my crack? Course I am... maybe.” Dean stood up and threw on a shirt and socks. “Just grab a bucket for that drip, I’ll go up and check it out.” He slipped on his shoes and made his way upstairs.

Not one part of splitting up seemed like a good idea to Cas, but he was tired and grumpy and knew better than to argue. He rummaged around in the closet near the sink until he found a small bucket and did his best to position it to catch most of the leak.

“Ah fuck!!! Cas!!” Dean stared at the flooded bathroom and ran over to turn off the faucet and tub. “Sonofabitch!”

A spike of panic shot through Castiel at the sound of Dean’s voice and he raced upstairs, eyes wide and prepared for just about anything. “Dean? What?” 

“She flooded the place! I mean what the hell, thought we were friends, bitch!” He yelled out in frustration.

The timing might not have been ideal, but Cas couldn’t help but notice how stupidly attractive Dean was when he was angry. He was just tired enough not to fight the arousal and he grinned, watching Dean. “You’re extremely adorable. I think this was her way of getting on my good side.” Truthfully, he was starting to get a little scared and trying to distract himself, and Dean was simply the best option to do that with. The ghost might not have hurt them so far, but it was escalating, and the next incident might not be harmless. “Should I get another bucket?”

Dean narrowed his eyes and walked closer. “Adorable? I’m not supposed to be adorable, Cas. Wasn’t I a little bit scary?” He nuzzled in his neck and kissed him.

“Maybe to someone that doesn’t know you,” Cas amended. “But honestly... you’re hot when you’re mad and I’m going to be taking notes from this ghost.” He raised his brows and dropped them quickly, then gripped Dean’s hand. “I think we should -” 

_ Slam! _

Cas nearly jumped out of his skin, spinning around so quickly he slipped in the ankle-deep water and fell right on his ass.

Dean bit back a laugh and helped him up. “Little cold to be swimmin’, babe.”

After briefly considering falling again on purpose just to drag Dean with him, he heard voices coming from downstairs. 

Decidedly  _ male _ voices. 

“Dean... I thought you said the ghost was a woman...?”

His face was serious in seconds. “Stay behind me, Flounder.” Dean stormed off, ready for a fight. He took the stairs two at a time and grabbed the nearest guy, slamming him against the wall. “The hell are you?!”

The man squeaked, his glasses falling right off his face and clattering to the ground as a second man tried to pull Dean off. “Gavin? You called  _ us, _ remember? Let him go!”

Cas descended the last stair and reached for the nearest weapon he could find, which happened to be a broom from their efforts to clean up the salt. He swung without stopping to ask questions, smacking the one trying to pull Dean away in the back of the knee.

“Ow! What the... shit!”

Dean released the bearded douchebag, and chuckled at how Cas looked with the broom but noticed how his boxers were damn near see through from the damn water. He glanced over at the dudes and noticed the other one was looking directly at Cas’ junk. “Hey, hey! Hey! Eyes up, George McFly!”

“I’m offended, and not just because I don’t think you’re talking about George McFly when he was  _ cool. _ Seriously, you called us! I’m sorry we’re late, it was a diplomatic nightmare trying to get over here.” He brushed off his shirt. “I’m Harry Spangler, and it’d be beyond cool if you let go of Ed.” 

Cas was absolutely too tired for this. He walked over, poking Harry just to make sure he was real and not another ghost. “We didn’t call anyone.”

“Wait, did you call me Gavin? Why the hell would he call in the Geek Squad?” Dean was still frowning, and Ed still had his hands up.

“I did, but I can clearly hear that you are not him.” Harry said with a slight attitude. 

Dean scoffed. “Yeah, no shit. Why’d he call you? Cas, baby. Put on some pants,  _ that’s _ mine.” 

Cas smiled smugly at that as he walked over to their suitcases to get some shorts. He and Dean never really had a chance to just be…  _ together _ in any public setting. Dean claiming him in front of anyone felt great, but him doing it in such a natural, shameless way had his butterflies doing somersaults. 

“Alright back to you two, why would he call you and what is all this junk?” Dean motioned to the load of crap these assholes lugged inside.

Ed swiped his glasses from the floor and put them back on, straightening up. “We have a... special set of skills. He hired us.” 

“Are you going to elaborate on that?” Cas asked, wrapping an arm around a Dean. “Because it’s three am, and I still have half a mind to call the police.”

The two looked scared for a moment, and Harry held up his hand. “Look, you’ve got a problem. And that problem... is ghosts. Or, ghost, Gavin didn’t really specify how many there were.”

“Oh, Caspa? And what are you gonna do with her?” Dean asked curiously. “Cause if you’re here to help, grab a damn mop.”

Harry chuckled and waved his hand. “Oh, we’re not a clean up crew. We’re here to kill your ghost, so... maybe you guys should clear out of here and let the professionals do their jobs.”

A clunk sounded behind him as Ed dropped the camera, swearing under his breath and clearing his throat as he snapped back up. “Yeah, you kids shouldn’t be here for this. It can get pretty dangerous, y’know.”

“Kids?!” Dean took a step forward. “Wanna run that by me again?”

Ed stepped behind Harry like he was hiding from Dean, which drew a laugh from Cas. Harry sidestepped and held his palms out to stop Dean from coming any closer. “Okay! Okay, you’re not kids. But this is still dangerous and you shouldn’t be here, we can handle it. We’re...” he cleared his throat and stood a little straighter. “We’re the Ghostfacers, we know what we’re doing.”

One of the boards in the ceiling gave way, drenching both of the intruders. Cas nodded with mock seriousness. “Yes, I can tell.”

“Ghostfacers. Oh look, Cas. It’s the Ghostfacers. We’re all good here now.” He deadpanned. “What happened, Ghostbusters didn’t wanna share their domain?”

Ed peeked around Harry’s shoulder. “I’m surprised you know what a domain is. Now, unless you want to get covered in ectoplasm, go hide somewhere. The big kids have work to do.” 

_ This is a joke. _ Cas had lost count of how many times he’d said that to himself since arriving in Scotland, but it never seemed to feel any less accurate. “Please, enlighten us. What, exactly, do you plan to do here?”

“Spin the tires, light the fires.” Harry pulled out a zippo and failed to light it twice. “Look, phase one is homework, the... fires come later.” He pocketed the zippo and walked over to his bag, pulling out a crumpled stack of papers. “I’ve done the research and narrowed it down to eighteen possible spirits.”

“Cover  _ yourself  _ in ectoplasm, we’re helpin’. This is our damn house and we wanna watch. Show me your research, Egon.” Dean walked over to grab the papers without waiting.

Cas crossed his arms over his chest. “Dean, I don’t think ‘eighteen’ is a low enough number to take them seriously. I think you got closer with just communicating with her.”

“Her? It’s a her?” Harry snatched the pages back from Dean and tossed a couple to the ground. “Make that eleven then. See? Pro-fesh-ion-als.” He drew out the syllables, and Cas had never wanted to punch another human being in the face so badly, and that included Raphael. 

“Get out.”

“Hey, you heard the man. I’ll keep these.” Dean started looking through the eleven papers and stopped on the one that looked familiar. “It’s that chick from the photo! This is creepy as fuck, Cas. We should burn it.” As the words left his mouth, every door upstairs slammed closed. Dean was sure he shut those last night to begin with. “Okay, okay!” He held his hands up. “We won’t burn your picture! But you flooded the damn bathroom!” 

Another crash. 

“I didn’t start this, you did! It was all fine and dandy when you just wanted to watch us fuck!” He was completely unaware of how crazy he looked right now.

“Watch you...  _ what?” _ Ed squeaked, fumbling to turn his camera on. He started swinging it wildly, trying to catch a glimpse of the ghost. 

Cas had officially reached the point where he was more annoyed and just  _ done _ than scared. He walked over to Harry and stuck out his hand. “Give me the lighter.”

Harry hesitantly handed it to him. “And what are you gonna do with that?” He asked Cas. “Because we know what to do.” 

Dean walked over by Cas, knowing the dude would be more respectful if he was there. “He asked you to enlighten us, asshat.”

“Or, I could just burn the entire house down and be done with it.” Cas absolutely would not do such a thing, but Ed’s little girl scream when the ghost knocked over the bookcase proved his point for him, even if Cas’ heart jumped into his throat. 

“Burn the body! Not the house! Holy shit, you guys are crazy!” Harry pushed his way to the other side of Ed and eyed the fallen shelf, breathing heavily.

“Her body? There isn’t a body here, buddy. We would know.” Dean snatched the zippo and lit it with one swipe. “Be nice or we’ll torch this hellhole and be done with it!”

He waited for the crash, but nothing happened.

Ed looked at Harry and smacked his shoulder a couple of times. “Look, they’re lunatics. Maybe we should just... clear out.” 

“No!” Harry shoved him off and reached out, trying to shut the zippo in Dean’s hand but he burned his finger and missed completely. “Phase two is infiltration, we’re already there. Next up is the final phase... face time!” 

Cas blinked, assuming he heard that wrong. “You’re... going to video chat the ghost?”

Dean chuckled. “You’re adorable. He thinks he’s gonna have a meeting with her and she’s going to give him some tips from beyond. Have you two ever actually dealt with a real ghost?”

They answered simultaneously, each with a different answer. Ed glared at Harry for saying no and grabbed his laptop. “Of course we have, we just... didn’t get it on film, okay? But it happened. It  _ happened.” _ He started scrolling, and Cas began looking around the room, suddenly realizing the ghost hadn’t done anything since Dean took the lighter. 

“Maybe she’s gone? I don’t hear anything.”

“She’s not gone. She’s definitely listening. Orgy isn’t happenin’ sweetheart.” Dean felt a chill up his spine and shivered. “No touching.” His confidence wavered so slightly that only Cas could see it.

Cas was not at all on board with a ghost touching his boyfriend, but he had absolutely no idea how to fight something he couldn’t see. He took Dean’s hand and clenched his jaw, wishing they were back home - or, at least, anywhere else. “Maybe we should try the ‘fuck off’ suggestion again.”

“Fuck off suggestion?” Ed asked as he set up the tripod. 

“Yeah it didn’t work.” Dean pulled Cas in and slapped his damp shorts. “So wet for me.” He teased, nuzzling into Cas’ neck, trying to think about  _ anything _ other than the fact that she just  _ touched _ him.

Cas’ entire body flushed because they had an audience, but the reminder that Dean was into public...  _ everything _ gave him a little more confidence than normal. He latched onto Dean and kissed just below his ear. “I always am.” 

“Are you guys gonna...” Ed trailed off, wagging his finger back and forth from Dean to Cas. “You should probably go upstairs or something, and we’ll take care of your ghost problem while you’re at it.”

“She’d just be in there with us. She likes to watch.” Dean grinned and kissed along Cas’ neck a moment before pulling away. “Alright, what’s step one?”

Cas was breathless just from that and clutched the back of Dean’s shirt, trying to ground himself at the sudden loss of contact. “Dean, don’t you think we’d be better off alone?”

Harry was beginning to wonder what the hell they’d signed up for. “Okay, so the ghost is onto porn? I guess it’s true what they say, gay love really can pierce the veil...”

Ed shook his head. “Just go get the damn shotguns, Harry. We need to get her to show herself, and we need to figure out what she’s attached to.”

Dean grabbed Cas’ hand and pulled him upstairs. “Cas, what do you think? I don’t know what to do here, and I only trust you.”

The mention of shotguns actually had Cas scared. Proper scared, not the anxiousness he’d felt because of the ghost. “Dean, we don’t know anything about them other than the fact that they barely know more about this than we do. It’s the middle of the night, I’m exhausted, and they’re going to get  _ guns. _ Maybe we should just... make a run for it?”

“If that is what you want, we will. But if they bring guns in here, I’m taking them. We can walk away from everything, we can tell them to fuck off, we can tell them to fuck off just until the morning. Or we can ride this out, and hope we finally figure it out. I’m here for whatever you feel is right, baby. But I can take those nerds easily.”

He wanted to believe Dean, and he knew that in a fair fight, there would be no way Dean would lose. But guns didn’t exactly constitute a fair fight, and every instinct in Cas’ body was telling him to take Dean and get as far away from Scotland as possible.

But going back home meant facing Michael, and their families, and the people he’d let down by choosing not to marry the wrong man. Cas wasn’t ready to deal with that just yet, and he had a feeling the ghost wouldn’t let them leave even if they tried. “I think we all need sleep, maybe in the morning some of this will make more sense.”

“Alright. So either I tell them to fuck off until morning or I tell them no guns until the morning and they can stay the night?” Dean offered, hoping the guns not being in their possession would help.

He nodded, realizing they probably didn’t have anywhere else to go, if the spirit would allow them to leave at all. “No guns.”

“You got it.” Dean kissed Cas and interlocked their fingers.

When they descended the stairs, Dean stopped Harry from exiting. “Hey, wait. No guns. You wanna stay the night, you sleep upstairs in one of the rooms and no guns until daylight. Got it?” Ed looked as though he wanted to argue but Dean cut him off and continued, “Or you can fuck off right now. Take it or leave it.” He stood protectively in front of Cas and awaited their decision.

Harry pulled Ed aside and dropped his voice, though it did nothing to conceal it. “This is a real ghost. This place is a mess, and those people are crazy. I think maybe you were right.”

“Oh, no. Nope. This is our chance, Harry! I can  _ smell _ the syndication. Just because these douchenozzles don’t understand the art of killing ghosts doesn’t mean we can’t still do this.” 

They continued bickering and Cas turned to face Dean, laying his head on Dean’s shoulder. “Maybe we should sleep upstairs tonight, where there are doors that lock.”

“It’s cold up there, besides. If I’m up there, how can I watch the door and make sure they don’t go get guns?” He was willing to go upstairs if Cas wanted, but he just wanted to keep Cas safe. “We can go up, if you’ll feel better.” He touched his face gently.

Cas closed his eyes, grateful Dean was still somehow able to think clearly. “No, no, you’re right. Of course you’re right, we should stay down here. Make them go upstairs and sleep in the cold room.”

“Exactly. We got the fire and lube. We’re good.” Dean tried to get a smile.

It worked, and Cas turned to the Ghostfacers. “You heard him, go on. First door on your right.”

Ed grabbed up some of their equipment and handed it to Harry, then made his way toward the stairs. “We’re getting back at it first thing in the morning. The sooner we kill this ghost dead, the better.”

“I think the point is it’s already dead, but... okay.” Cas was too sleepy to argue, but they still didn’t have a chance to rest because not two minutes later, Ed was yelling down the stairs. 

“Do you have a key to this room? It’s locked!”

Dean squinted at Cas and glanced upward. “It wasn’t ten minutes ago! Maybe she doesn’t like you, just pick a different room and shut the hell up already!”

Muffled grumbles were heard, followed by a door closing. Cas breathed out and stayed dressed, climbing under the blankets and removed a couple of wet ones as Dean joined him and pulled him close. Cas got as comfortable as he could and tilted his head to kiss Dean’s chin. “Why does it seem like reality isn’t... reality anymore?”

“Because we’re in a different country, living in some haunted house with a voyeuristic ghost? I mean, I’m not  _ absolutely _ positive, but I think those are the main reasons this feels like some acid trip.”

Cas just nodded, because there really were no words for this fucked up situation, but least they had each other.

~~~~

Dean woke up before everyone else, probably because he didn’t trust the weirdos upstairs. For them being so eager to ‘get back at it in the morning’ they sure were sleeping in. Dean didn’t mind, because that meant he had some time with Cas. And since they were in the living room, privacy was going to be hard to come by. 

He pulled Cas close and hummed against his neck, rutting his morning erection against his ass. “Morning, baby.” 

Cas had hidden his feelings for Dean for so long that he had a brief moment of panic when he woke up, thinking his secret was out.  _ It’s  _ **_been_ ** _ out, and he feels the same… he feels….  _ “Good morning, Dean.” He lifted his leg slightly, and reached behind him to move Dean’s boxers out of the way so Cas could feel Dean’s cock resting between his thighs when he relaxed again. 

“Want you... always want you...” Dean kissed below his ear and started nibbling along his neck. “Think you can be quiet, baby?”

A rush went straight through Cas’ body and he shivered hard, letting out a quiet moan. “Probably not.”

“Good thing I don’t care.” Dean nipped his earlobe and pulled away to grab the lube. Within a minute, he was sliding a digit inside. “Gonna have to relax more, gorgeous.”

“Sorry.” Cas bit down on his forearm and tried to loosen up, but the thought of two random humans and a curious ghost potentially catching them was making it hard. It was making a  _ lot  _ of things hard, and it was the realization of how turned on he was by it that actually had him relaxing.

“Good... fuck, you’re still so tight.” He added another finger, dying to be inside him already.

Cas rolled onto his stomach and spread his legs, whining quietly into the pillow. “Are you sure we’ll have time?”

“Is that a challenge?” Dean leaned in and growled, shoving in another finger and hovering over Cas. “Guess we’ll see.” He scissored to open him until he was begging for Dean’s cock and then he finally sank inside. “Cas....”

It was gloriously overwhelming, and Cas found himself rutting against the pile of blankets underneath him as he tried to take more of Dean. He was barely breathing, scared of the noise he’d make if he wasn’t careful and not at all in the mood to get interrupted.

Dean started slowly, sliding in and out as they tried to keep quiet. But once he got going, he completely forgot about their guests, all that was on his mind was Cas. The slapping of his hips on Cas’ ass echoed throughout the living room, making the Ghostfacers decide to stay upstairs.

Cas gripped the sheets and clenched around Dean, trying his best to keep his moans quiet and unheard. But that was a difficult task, Dean’s cock was filling him up so completely it was hard to concentrate. “De-  _ Dean,” _ he breathed.

“Yes, Cas?” He continued pounding into him. “Gonna come on my cock, baby?”

Nothing could’ve kept Cas quiet at that point, because yes, yes he was. He got louder, clamping a hand over his own mouth as he felt his cock dragging against the blanket with every rough, violent thrust.

Dean leaned down to whisper and move Cas’ hand, replacing it with his own, “ass is amazing.” He continued to fuck Cas hard and deep until his orgasm mounted and his hips began to stutter. “Come for me. Gonna fill you up.”

Cas practically screamed from behind Dean’s hand as he came all over their makeshift bed, his hole pulsing and tightening around Dean’s length.

Dean huffed a laugh and sped up, groaning Cas’ name as he released inside of him, moving in circles while kissing his neck, slowly coming down.

“Shit.” Cas collapsed and grinned, burying his blushing face in the pillow. “It hadn’t really been a challenge, but you won anyway.”

Dean laughed and pulled out, collapsing next to him. “I swear, every time is better.”

“That’s because every time  _ is  _ better.” Cas curled against Dean to get away from the wet spot and closed his eyes, running a hand down Dean’s chest to his spent cock. “We should deal with the idiots upstairs.” 

“Oh shit, I forgot about them for a few minutes.” Dean laughed. “Think they heard?”

Footsteps sounded on the stairs. “Yes, douchebags, we heard,” Ed snapped. “Have to say, I’m surprised. I thought that dynamic would be reversed.” 

Cas yanked the blanket over himself so fast it flew clear off of Dean, so he hastened to cover him back up with his cheeks a deep scarlet. “Shut up.”

Dean shrugged it off, “I mean, I’d let him... if he wanted.” He slid on some boxers and stood up. “Were you creepin’ on the stairs? Maybe you and our ghost have more in common than we think?”

The words took a moment to register to Cas, and when they did, he couldn’t take his eyes off Dean’s ass. He’d only ever been with hard tops, he’d never had the opportunity to try what Dean was suggesting - and now, more than ever, he wanted the hell out of Scotland. That wasn’t something he wanted  _ anyone _ watching. 

“Um... no. Gross. We just heard  _ that one  _ finish up and thought maybe you two were finally ready to kill this ghost?” Harry crossed his arms, looking pissed off at the both of them.

“Sounds like you got the wrong kind of stick up your ass. Hey, we’re not judgin’ what you two did up there last night.” Dean pulled on his jeans and started on his boots.

Ed dropped the duffel bag from his shoulder as Harry scoffed and started setting up their equipment. “Very funny, but we like  _ girls.” _

“Ever ask if they like you back?” He teased, laughing way too hard for his own joke as he shrugged on a shirt. “Alright, alright, it’s hunting time.”

Cas wasn’t oblivious to the fact that he was still very naked with come dripping down his thighs. For a moment, his body heated up and he hated everything in the entire world, himself included. His clothes were in a pile a few feet away from him, but he managed to convince himself to get up and wrap the blanket around him so thoroughly around him that only his eyes were visible. “Right, I need a shower. I’ll leave the ghost hunting to the… experts.” He took his clothes and walked straight to the downstairs bathroom.

Harry clapped his hands and rubbed them together, then closed his eyes, singing quietly to himself, “We face the ghosts when the others will not. Ghost, ghostfacers. Stay in the kitchen when the kitchen gets hot…”

Dean watched him go, wishing he could just shower with him, but he had to stay there and watch dumb and dumber. “What the hell is that, a theme song?!”

“Yes,” Ed said. “He’s just gettin’ in the zone, now shut up and leave him be.” 

Harry raised his hands in mock surrender and took a deep breath. “I wish to communicate with the restless spirits here.”

Dean bit back his smart ass comment when he told him to shut up, but their ghost tossed something down the stairs. “There she is, mornin’, darlin’.” 

He hid his fear easily, because Ed’s little girl squeak as he turned his camera toward the steps was hilarious.

“Okay, okay, okay, good, good.” Harry’s eyes were wide and he motioned between Dean and the object. “Go pick it up, see what it is.” 

Cas chose then to come out of the bathroom, cleaned up and dressed, but not showered. “What’s what?”

“Our girl tossed something at us.” Dean hesitated but walked over to grab it, since Cas was about to walk by it anyway. “It’s... red lipstick.” He turned the tube in his hand and walked back over.

Harry snatched it from Dean’s hand and studied it, turning it over and twisting the bottom back and forth. “Do you think she wants us to wear it?”

“No, Harry, Jesus.” Ed lowered the camera slightly. “I’ll edit that out.”

Cas lifted the stack of papers they had and studied the one that matched the photo they’d found in the house. “Yes, she’s wearing red lipstick. I think you were right, Dean. Her name is Rowena, Rowena MacLeod.”

When Cas said her name, all the power went out. “H-hey Rowena... we good?” Dean held up his hands.

Every lightbulb on the main floor shattered and the curtains slammed shut, casting them into total darkness. 

Panic rose in Cas’ chest.  _ But surely this was like the last time the power went out, and it would be back on soon, right? _ “Rowena, we don’t want to hurt you. We want to help you.” He started inching his way toward where Dean had been standing before, reaching out for him. 

“Screw that, where’s my shotgun!” Ed yelled.

Something  _ thunked. _

“Forget the shotgun, we need to get the hell out of here!” Harry made a break for the door, but tripped on the mountain of pillows and blankets, landing with a smack and a yelp.

Dean pulled Cas in and held him protectively. “Walk much?! Get up! Don’t spook her! Row... hey, we aren’t trying to hurt you.” 

Ed helped Harry to his feet and fumbled with his camera. “This is what we do!”

“What, trip over yourselves and make things worse?” Cas snapped. “No thanks.” 

A soft, Scottish voice sounded from somewhere in the dark. “Are you sure? Seems a wee bit to me like you’re trying to kill me, although, I must say... I’d like to see you try.”

Cas clutched onto Dean as his stomach tried to claw its way out of his body, while Ed repeatedly hit the side of his camera to get it to start recording again after an abrupt stop. “Holy shit, holy shit!”

Dean gulped and decided to attempt to keep charming her, it had worked so far. “Hey... Rowena... we’re friends remember? We even gave you a show this mornin’, just trying to keep the peace.” He nudged Harry hard and motioned to the air. “Say something nice!”

Harry froze, not managing to get out more than a few stuttered syllables before Rowena spoke again. 

“Aye, shame you didn’t make it to fifth base.” She dragged an ice cold finger down Ed’s face. “You heard the man. Butter me up! I’ve got nothing but time.” 

“Hah!” Ed swung the camera toward the voice. “Gotcha, bitch. Wait... why isn’t the night vision working?”

Rowena clicked her tongue. “You’re a real numb nut, aren’t you?” Her sarcastic lilt turned menacing. “Enough of this, you’re in _my_ house and I want you _all_ to leave. ___Now._ I won’t be asking a second time.”

“What’s fifth base?” Dean couldn’t help but ask, completely missing the rest of her speech.

“Oh, never you mind about that.” Her voice was back to its previous calm, but the cabinet doors in the kitchen began to open and slam shut again. “Three, two…”

“SHIT!” Ed dropped the camera and shoved Harry out of the way, racing toward the exit. The door swung open and the Ghostfacers each struggled to get out before the other. 

The door closed abruptly and locked, and Rowena laughed as the curtains opened once more to let in some light. She appeared a moment later; just the shimmering form of a small, fiery red-haired woman with gorgeous features and piercing eyes. “Not exactly the caliber of folk I’d choose to have ‘round for tea, mind you. Choose your guests more carefully next time.”

Cas blinked, taking in the scene of broken glass, scattered equipment, and fucking  _ ghost.  _ “Dean?” His voice was a high pitched, nervous squeak, but he didn’t care. 

Dean stood in front of him with one hand up and the other tightly gripping Cas’ arm. “Um... hi. Don’t like nerds?”

“If that were the case, dear, I’d have chased the two of you out of here with just a wee bit more gusto, don’t you think?” She sat down, crossing one leg over the other - but there was no chair, nothing underneath her at all but empty space. “Now that the cat’s been coaxed right out of the bag, tell me. Why are you in my house?”

“I won it while black out drunk in Vegas,” he answered honestly. “Is Gavin anyone to you?”

Rowena scowled and narrowed her eyes. “Aye, that infuriating little pipsqueak is my grandson, though I never knew him in life. I traded his father for a couple of pigs when he was a boy, never saw him again.” She heaved what would have been a large, annoyed sigh had she still been capable of breathing. “Then, I died, and our dear wee Gavin showed up to collect his inheritance.  _ Inheritance! _ I thought by ridding myself of his nuisance of a father, I’d have gotten around such things, but no!”

“You... sold your child for a pig?” Cas asked. 

“Three. Three pigs, but they didn’t do me much good, either,” she scoffed, as Harry and Ed began pounding on the door.

“Wait, wait let’s back up a bit... I’m a nerd?!?” He felt Cas tense at his side and cleared his throat. “Alright forget the nerd thing. So... you sold your kid for some bacon, and his son came lookin’ for a quick buck. Sounds like a douche, glad I kicked his ass in some poker.”

She smiled slyly and leaned forward. “So am I, dear boy. Now, there’s the small matter of what you plan to do with this place now that you’ve won it.”

Castiel fought the urge to suction himself to Dean. He was becoming more comfortable with the fear causing adrenaline to pump through his body, but it didn’t do much to stop him from wanting to seek shelter with Dean. “Why are you still here, Rowena? Shouldn’t you have gone...  _ on?” _

“Ooh, well, I suppose you could say I simply wasn’t ready to die. Things to do, places to see... that sort of thing. I can’t do much locked in this house, though, so my plan may have been just a wee bit underresearched.”

Dean let Cas cling to him but for some reason, his fear faded away. “How does it work? Are you just trapped here forever? Is your body here like those numbnuts suggested?”

The banging on the front door continued as the Ghostfacers tried to get back inside, but Rowena’s grip on the door was sound. “It’s sure starting to feel like I’m trapped here forever, but no. My body was cremated, Fergus saw to that.” She glared at nothing in particular and continued. “I was dabbling in what you might call ‘black magic’ before my untimely demise. Nothing dastardly, mind you, just a touch of magic here and there to make life easier. I was trying to find a spell that would grant me longer life when...” she sighed and waved her hand, “something went a wee bit awry. One missed ingredient and  _ poof.” _

Cas had read enough lore online in his search for a way to get rid of Rowena that he had... questions. “What are you tied to, then? If it’s not your body. Is it the house?”

“I don’t know for sure, but my guess would be the  _ Book of the Damned.” _

“Book of the what?? Is this like some Satanist book?” Dean asked, but as he thought about it, no way she was tied to some random book unless she wrote the damn thing. No, he would bet money she was tied to that creepy photo. 

The mumbling through the door suggested the Ghostfacers were trying to ask nicely if they could come back in, but Rowena acted as if she couldn’t hear them at all.

“I doubt either of you boys would know a true Satanist if you met one, but nevermind about the origins of the book. It’s the one I was using when I died, though, I have yet to actually find the damned thing, I think it was sold while I was trying to figure out how to make myself known.”

“If it was sold... wouldn’t you be... I don’t know with it? Or is that not how it works? I thought they were like a tether or something like that?” Dean hoped his face didn’t look as confused as he was. He was trying to have a logical conversation with a ghost, and  _ not _ sound like an idiot.

Rowena looked like she was about to explain, and then sort of deflated. “You’re right, I suppose it would’ve made sense for me to go with it. I don’t have a clue what it is, then. Could I have remained behind out of spite?” 

That didn’t seem like a thing to Cas, but he had very little experience with ghosts or the supernatural of any kind. He honestly felt bad for her, despite the fact that part of him believed it was her own fault that she died. Magic wasn’t supposed to be messed with. “What objects in this house belonged to you? Surely you’ve at least looked around.”

She nodded, as the Ghostfacers started pounding on the back door. “Indeed. It’s naught but a few photos and some lingerie Fergus was probably too embarrassed to touch. Everything else was sold or burned.”

Cas cleared his throat. “Okay. I’ll… let you two work that out, I’m going to go pack our things. I’m assuming you’ll let us leave…?” She nodded, so Cas made his way up the stairs, his mind a whirlwind of confusion as he processed the fact that ghosts were definitely, absolutely real. 

Dean watched Cas go and then looked back towards Rowena. “Would you kill me if I wanted to sell the place? I mean, we’re from America... we can’t stay here. I was planning on fixing the place up but now it’s worse than before.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Did you have to flood the bathroom, man?”

“That’s  _ woman _ to you, and maybe that was a little unnecessary.” She frowned, her form shimmering as she moved a few steps closer. “You have to understand, I’ve been alone here for a very long time. When I realized I wouldn’t easily be able to scare you off...” she tilted her head and shrugged, holding her shoulders up for a moment before letting them drop. “I’d apologize, but it’s still  _ my _ house, regardless of who you sell it to. I can’t exactly go anywhere.”

“W-what if you could? What if we just... took your photos with us? I’m pretty sure it’s those and not the lingerie. We could take you anywhere you wanted, really, if you help me clean the damn mess. I was going to use the money to give Cas the wedding he deserves.” He blushed and scratched his head.

“Wedding? Didn’t strike me as though you two lovebirds had been together very long.” She raised her eyebrow and huffed nothing through her nose. “But I’m not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, so if my choices are staying here and dealing with whoever you choose to sell the house to in order to give your beloved a grand affair of a wedding or starting a new afterlife across the pond, well... I’d be a fool to stay behind.” 

Cas froze at the top of the stairs, just out of sight. His heart hammered in his chest as the words sunk in.  _ Wedding? Dean? Me? What? _

“Hey Cas! Can you grab those photos, babe?” He yelled up the stairs and then turned back to Rowena. “Well I’ve loved him for about 10 years, so I think we waited long enough. I don’t want anyone else, and he deserves a damn wedding, with pie.” Dean realized he was getting off track. “Look, I don’t know what we’re doin’ here, but you’d like America. I’ll even plant you places to fuck with people sometimes and then pick you up.”

He waited until Dean was done talking to actually turn and grab the box of photos from the cold room, which... was no longer cold. Dean’s words were doing loops and somersaults in his brain, rattling around and arguing with each other over which deserved more attention: the supposed wedding, or the fact that they just adopted a ghost. 

“I do enjoy messing with people,” Rowena grinned at Dean. “You’ve got yourself a deal.” 

Cas shuffled down the last step in a daze and handed the box to Dean. “H-here.”

“Thanks, handsome.” Dean kissed his cheek and showed Rowena the photos. “Alright, let’s get rid of those asshats, get this shit hole cleaned and go the fuck home.” He set the box down and rubbed his hands together, taking in the mess.  _ Where the fuck do we even begin? _


	9. Collar Full

It took way longer than either of them had planned to get the house ready for sale, but the moment it was on the market, they packed their things and made their way to the airport. They’d tested leaving the house with each of Rowena’s photos until it was confirmed the creepy one they’d found on their first night there was the one she was tied to, and she’d smiled fondly at it.  _ “Taken by Fergus’ father,” _ she’d said.  _ “Before he up and left me with a child to raise on my own.”  _

Cas had misgivings about inviting Rowena to live with them. After all, now that they knew what she was tied to, it stood to reason that she could take the photo herself and go wherever she wanted to. But Dean, sweet, precious Dean, had taken it upon himself to befriend her and Cas wasn’t sure she’d  _ ever  _ leave because of it. He was beginning to think an adult ghost was the closest they’d ever get to children. 

“Are you alright, Dean?” 

Dean had been lost in his thoughts as he stared at the terminal. “Am I okay? No I’m not okay!” He whisper-yelled. “We’re about to get on a plane... with a ghost! What if she decides she doesn’t wanna be nice? What if she makes the shit go down so she can swim in the damn ocean? This is the last decision you ever let me make. I shouldn’t have the responsibility of decisions, I always decide dumb shit. You know who befriends a ghost? Crazy people!”

Something cold lightly tapped Dean’s face, like Rowena was trying to smack him. Cas watched as he flinched with wide eyes and then they narrowed quickly, and Cas had a fleeting thought that Dean was going to try and fist-fight a ghost in the middle of a crowd. “Dean. It’s fine, she’s not going to crash the plane.” He glared at the empty space next to them, hoping she could see it. “I’ve got you, Dean. Just like on the way over here... we’re going to be fine.”

Dean nodded and slowly began to feel calmer, maybe he needed that damn slap. He took a deep breath and leaned his forehead against Cas’. “I love you, have I told you that?”

“Yes, you have. And I love you, too, with everything I am.” Cas kissed his nose and attempted to stop his brain from conjuring the whole ‘wedding’ conversation that had never been spoken about, but failed. “Come on, it's time to board. Let’s go home.”

If Cas’ hand wasn’t squeezing his, Dean would have taken off. After two tugs, he felt how sound Cas’ grip was and let him lead the way. Rowena poking him in the ribs didn’t help in the slightest and he considered leaving her photo at the damn airport. 

Once they were on and the cabin door slammed shut, Dean felt completely trapped. His eyes widened and he looked over at Cas to ground himself. “Why did we do this? We should have stayed! We had a house. We could be Scottish.”

“We’re not Scottish, Dean, and you got frustrated after about 5 minutes of trying to decipher Jaskier’s accent when we were listing the house. But believe me, I’m not entirely looking forward to going home, either. A month abroad was wonderful, but I’m still going to have to face the consequences of my decisions when we get back.”

Dean pulled his hand up and kissed it.  _ “We’ll _ face them.”

~~~~

The plane ride was smooth sailing for a couple of hours, but just as Dean began to doze off, the turbulence began… along with Dean’s panic.

“Cas!! We’re gonna die! Ah fuck! Cas... I wanna marry you. I should have told you before now but if we survive this, will you marry me? Please?!” He stared into Cas’ wide cerulean eyes, realizing somewhere in the back of his mind what horrible timing he always had.

It was a relief for Cas to finally have the words out there, and he ignored every warning as he unbuckled his seatbelt in favor of straddling Dean right there on the plane. He kissed him deeply, his heart soaring in his chest. “Yes, absolutely yes.” He kept kissing him, peppering his lips and cheek and nose. “Yes.”

As it turned out, Dean yelled that confession much louder than he meant to, and the entire plane started clapping and whistling for them. He blushed, squeezing Cas to him.  _ He said yes. Cas said yes! Not gonna cry. Way too many people are watching, not gonna cry... not gonna cry. _ Dean was losing this internal battle and had to think about something else... death would have to do.  _ We brought a ghost on this plane, probably gonna die in the next hour. Oh look, the fear is back. _ “Thank you.” He held Cas tight, not letting him off his lap.

Cas couldn’t stop smiling, or kissing that beautiful face.  _ I’m getting married, but to the right person this time. The one it should’ve always been. _ He nuzzled into Dean’s neck and relaxed, humming quietly. “Do you think they’ll let me stay right here?”

“Probably not... but they can wait. So... can we have all pie?” Dean looked up at Cas and grinned.

He snorted, remembering how bitchy Michael had been about it. “I’d have changed my answer to ‘no’ if you’d have suggested anything else.” The flight attendant made him move entirely too fast, but Cas stayed as close as he could to Dean anyway.

Proposing actually made the rest of the flight feel much faster. The flight attendant obviously thought they were adorable and gave them some complimentary wine. Dean hated wine but hey, alcohol is alcohol. And before they knew it, they were finally stepping on American soil. It took everything not to drop down and kiss the floor, but he decided he had embarrassed Cas enough. “Ready to be home?”

“Are we going to talk about the irony that on the flight over there, we pretended we were on our honeymoon, and you proposed on the flight back?” Cas grinned, taking his hand and walking toward baggage claim. “But yes, I’m ready for whatever being home ends up meaning.”

Dean chuckled with a shrug. “I knew what I wanted then, I know what I want now.” 

Of all times, Rowena decided to communicate then. “You lads are just precious.” 

“Hey, we were havin’ a moment. Unless you wanna live in an airport bathroom stall, no interruptions.” Dean turned back to Cas just as she slapped him upside the head again.

Cas tucked his lips between his teeth and tried not to laugh. “You know what, I think I like her after all, even though her presence makes me feel like I’m in an Alanis Morisette song.”

“A what song? Alanis is  _ not _ allowed in Baby. Why would you even bring her up?”

He gathered his thoughts as they retrieved their bags and made their way out toward the parking lot to wait for their Uber. “Because, we’ve already covered the irony of the plane ride. But don’t you think it’s a little ironic that we were haunted for years over what we thought were unrequited feelings for each other, and then the moment we admit them and finally get a chance to be together, we’re haunted by an  _ actual _ ghost?”

Dean huffed a laugh. “Actually,  _ it figures.” _ He raised his eyebrows at Cas, waiting for the joke to hit.  _ Course he didn’t laugh, I’m surrounded by nerds. _ “I think I’m less surprised by the ghost thing, and more surprised you said yes. I’ve never made it through the damn song, is there a happy ending?”

“I... don’t actually know if there is or not, but that’s not the point. It doesn’t matter if Alanis got hers, because we’re going to get ours.” Cas realized with a jolt as they loaded up the trunk and got in that he really, truly believed that. After years of thinking he’d never have this, it was not only going to happen - but Dean wanted it just as badly as he did. “But Dean... what are we going to do with Rowena when we get home?”

~~~~

The answer to that made itself clear pretty quickly. Their first stop was Sam’s, to tell him the good news and sneak the photo of Rowena under his couch.

Dean had to promise he’d go back for her in a few days if she promised not to hurt Sam in any way. They attempted to shake hands and for some reason, Dean trusted her. 

Sam was excited to see them, as always and pulled them in for sloppy hugs. “How was it? Tell me about the house?” 

Dean busted up laughing and passed the torch to Cas. “My  _ fiancé  _ will fill you in. I gotta piss.”  _ And hide Row. _

“Your... what?” Sam watched Dean go and then turned back to a blushing Cas. “What?”

He cleared his throat. He really shouldn’t have been surprised that Dean was making  _ him _ tell Dean’s own brother, but he was, just the same. “Um... Dean proposed to me. On the plane. The house was... nice?”

Sam did a double take and paused. “Go back. He proposed... on a plane?” 

Dean slid Row under the couch and actually did have to pee, he knew Cas could handle Sam better than he could.

“Yes, on the plane. During turbulence...” Cas abruptly frowned, staring off into the direction Dean had gone. “He still meant it, right? It wasn’t... just fear causing him to do something stupid?”

“He meant it, alright. He confesses things when he’s scared. When we were younger and went in a plane, he confessed that he cheated on a test at school.” Sam started laughing. “It was definitely the truth.”

Cas’ chest swelled at the thought, as if Dean needed to be any more adorable. “We put the house up for sale, he decided that he didn’t want to leave his family. He wants to use the money for the wedding, but... he doesn’t actually know I know that.” He blushed, then realized he couldn’t really elaborate on that since Dean had been talking to a ghost at the time so he changed the subject. “We haven’t even been back home yet, he insisted on coming to see you first.”

“He did?” Sam stood straighter with a grin, thinking Dean missed him. “He missed me?”

“Pfft!” Dean walked up and wiped his wet hands on his shirt. “See ya later, bitch.” He pulled Cas’ hand, leading him back towards the car.

Cas glanced over his shoulder and smiled apologetically at the very confused Sam, and once they were back in the car, he chuckled softly. “I feel bad about doing that to him.”

“I kinda do too. But she won’t hurt him, honestly it sounded like she had a little crush on him.” Dean shrugged, he was just happy to  _ finally _ be almost home.

~~~~

Cas managed to put off the conversation with his parents for another two full days. His mother had called more than once, but he’d responded via text each time and told her he was busy and would call her when he could, but it got to a point where he couldn’t wait any longer. He was nervous and jittery as he dialed the number and held the phone to his ear, and climbed into Dean’s lap to steady himself. 

“Everything is gonna be alright, Cas.” Dean kissed his cheek.

When his mother answered, he put the phone on speaker and set it down on the couch next to Dean’s knee, then dropped his head to Dean’s shoulder. 

“It’s about time, Castiel.” 

He flinched from Astarte’s tone as Dean gently rubbed his back. “Sorry, it’s been a crazy month. But I’m back from Scotland now, and we decided against moving there.”

She huffed an agitated sigh, but warmed quickly. “Well good, your father would throw a fit if he had to go clear across the ocean to see you. Have you talked to Michael at all?”

_ No. And I never will again.  _ “I don’t see any reason to. I called off the wedding, and he hasn’t tried to contact me since.” 

“Are you going to finally tell me  _ why  _ you called off the wedding at the last minute and then ran away to a different country?”

Cas chuckled quietly and turned his head, lightly kissing Dean’s neck. “Michael wasn’t the one for me, mom. I called it off because the thought of marrying him gave me hives.” 

“Castiel... talk to me. Are you okay?”

He took a deep breath and relaxed against Dean, sliding his hands between Dean’s back and the couch. “I wasn’t, not for a long time. But I am now, and... you’ll be happy to know, I’m still getting married.”

The pause spoke volumes. “You’re getting married? But not to Michael? Were you... cheating, Castiel?”

Cas screwed up his face and lifted his head, turning to squint at the phone. “No. No, I wasn’t, how could you think that of me? It’s Dean, mom. It’s always been Dean, but I assure you... nothing happened between us until I showed up on his doorstep after calling things off.”

She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I never should have gone there. Marriage is just so... fast.” Astarte giggled. “Actually, you said it was Dean? I should be saying ‘it’s about time’ then, huh?”

“Yes, we said the same thing.” He kissed Dean quickly and squirmed in his lap, then settled back down with his head on his shoulder. “You know better than anyone that I’ve been in love with him since high school, and apparently... he’s felt the same.”

“Well then... congratulations. What  _ did _ finally open up his pretty eyes? I knew he loved you years ago.”

Cas grinned and silently kissed a line up Dean’s neck to his jaw. “Ask him yourself, he’s right here. You’re on speaker.”

“Hello, Dean. What took you so long?” 

Dean cleared his throat and blushed. “Hello, Astarte. Um... I always wanted him to find someone better than me and then he almost married that douchba-” His eyes widened, he never liked cussing in front of their parents. “Sorry, that... butthead, and I realized that no one would ever love him as much as I do.”

“No one could,” Cas added. “I’ve never let anyone know me the way Dean does, because I’ve never wanted anyone else to know me like that.”

Astarte sighed, a happy, almost swooning sound. “You won’t hear a word of complaint from me, I always preferred you to that asshat.”

“She said asshat.” Dean chuckled like he was five.

“Well, do you have a better name for him? He was rude and pompous, and the only reason I never said anything was because it’s what I thought Castiel wanted. I should’ve trusted my instincts.” 

Cas nuzzled into Dean’s neck and squirmed again, trying not to crush him. “You should’ve. Maybe all I would’ve needed was you telling me to quit being stupid, and I could’ve been with Dean years ago.”

Dean bared his neck, suddenly not listening to their conversation, because he could feel Cas’ ass perfectly on his dick. He bit his lip and reached up to rub Cas’ hips.

“You would never have listened to me, Castiel. You never did, not even as a child. Anything I told you went in one ear and out the other.”

Cas gasped quietly as Dean rutted up against him and bit down on Dean’s neck. “You’re right, I’m stubborn. I prefer to learn things on my own.”

Dean released a shaky breath and rutted again, this time even harder. He slipped his hands inside Cas’ waistband and nuzzled in to suck on his neck.

Whatever Astarte said was completely lost to Cas, and it took every ounce of self-control in his body not to moan out loud. He slid his hand up and clamped it over Dean’s mouth, pulling away enough to think clearly. “Sorry, mom. Bad connection, I’ll call you back later.” He slammed his hand down onto his phone and the second the call box disappeared, he kissed Dean.

Dean moaned into his mouth, loving that he could feel how hard Cas was too. He moved away to kiss down Cas’ neck, nipping under his chin.

He tilted his head back and gripped Dean’s legs behind him, rocking his hips forward. “Dean... maybe we should... go to bed.”

“Nah. Right here.” Dean manhandled him and laid him back on the couch, still kissing his way down Cas’ torso.

Cas let out a needy moan and watched Dean, his body shuddering as he sat up a little to pull his shirt off. “God, I love it when you do that.”

Dean nipped his hip and glanced up. “Yeah?” He moved Cas again, lifting him to pull his pants down. He nuzzled just above his cock and slid his hand up to tweak Cas’ nipple. “Like when I take you how I want to?” Dean slid his tongue up Cas’ shaft.

He nodded like an asshole and dropped back down, flat out whining at the way Dean looked when he did that. “Absolutely, yes.” Cas thrusted up, reaching out to tug on Dean’s shirt. “Why am I the only one naked?”

“Cause I can’t wait.” Dean sucked him down, sliding him to the back of his throat. His cock was painfully hard but he didn’t need to be naked, he just needed Cas to be. After just a few days, they realized they needed a bedroom  _ and _ a living room lube bottle, so Dean was happy he could grab it from the table and still continue to suck Cas off.

It was hard to tell what was hotter, the fact that Dean wasn’t even bothering to take his clothes off or the fact that they were this needy again already after just having sex that morning. Cas’ cock throbbed in Dean’s mouth and he bit his lip, splaying his legs out to the side as he eyed the lube in his hand. “Please, Dean.”

Dean chucked around his cock and slid in a lubed finger. He was still opened from earlier, but Dean still didn’t want him to feel any pain. It didn’t take long for Dean to be three fingers deep and leaking all over his boxers. He shoved his shorts down just under his balls and lubed up his cock. “Got me leaking for this ass, Cas.” Dean lined up, and slid inside.

“Fuh...ck.” Cas wrapped his legs around Dean and urged him deeper, his breath hitching in his throat as he pulled him into another kiss. He’d never, ever get tired of having Dean inside of him, no matter how many times they did this.

Dean kissed him, and then lifted his hips to start fucking into his prostate. Cas’ cock was sliding on his chest and Dean got an idea, he arched his back, letting his thrusts push the tip of Cas’ cock into his mouth.

Cas had what he could only describe as an out of body experience. It felt so good, so overwhelming, so  _ perfect  _ that it was a miracle he didn’t come instantaneously. He pressed his arms into the couch below him to help keep himself steady and support some of his weight as he watched Dean with wide, fascinated eyes. A strangled sound escaped him, he’d been  _ trying _ to moan but it came out as more of a grunted gurgle.

Knowing how good he was making Cas feel right now had Dean moaning and the second he tasted Cas leak into his mouth, he could feel his release building in his gut. He finally got a rhythm going and hoped he could swallow Cas’ load while still fucking him.

He got his wish less than a minute later. Cas was overwhelmed in the best way and he came with a string of profanities Dean didn’t think he was capable of.

Dean arched as much as possible so he could still apply pressure and milk Cas for every drop. He pulled off, lapping at his spent cock and then chased his own release, filling up Cas’ ass a moment later.

Breathing was a thing of the past for Cas. He tried, sucking in ragged, desperate bursts of air but nothing seemed to sate him. He pulled Dean down into a kiss and slid his tongue into Dean’s mouth, and only then did his lungs relax.

They made out lazily as they came down from their euphoria, and then Dean collapsed on top of Cas, still buried inside of him.

Cas wrapped his arms around Dean and made sure not to move a muscle otherwise, never wanting Dean to pull out. He kissed the top of his head and smiled, dazed. “You’re... well, incredible doesn’t even cover it, Dean.”

He nodded in response, kissing along his chest slowly. “Only for you.” 

“I love you,” Cas whispered. “Are you sure you want to marry me? Seems… seems unreal.” 

“Never been more sure of anything in my life.  _ You  _ sure you wanna marry  _ me? _ I adopted a ghost without askin’ you.”

Cas grinned, running his fingertips over Dean’s skin. “It’s fine, I’ll get you back one day. But yes, I absolutely want to marry you. As soon as possible, before you change your mind.”

He shook his head, “Never. Can’t you tell I’m addicted to you?”

“Yes, and I love it.” Cas kissed his head again, then closed his eyes, thinking that addicted was a very good word for it. 

~~~~

Dean had Cas pinned against the kitchen counter, sucking and kissing down his neck, rutting between his legs. They had been home over a week and still hadn’t had enough of each other. They had fucked on nearly every single surface, rarely ever making it to the actual bed. 

When someone knocked, Dean practically growled at the interruption. They planned on getting Rowena that evening after dinner with Sam, so this was their last opportunity to fuck without an audience. He pulled away, trying to will away his boner as he backed towards the door. “No moving, baby. I’m still fucking you right there.”

Cas dropped his head back and shivered at the loss of contact. He couldn’t imagine that being anyone that would make having to wait worth it, but he trusted Dean to get rid of them quickly.

Dean had to adjust himself before he swung the door open. “The fuck do you want, Michael?” He wasn’t in the mood to see this fucking asshole of all people.  _ Wish Row was here! _

Michael took in the state of Dean and crinkled his nose in disgust. Dean chuckled, baring his neck more to show off the hickey he knew Michael just spotted.

“Where is he?” Michael said calmly. “Get your disgusting ass out of my way, and let me see my fiancé.” 

Cas heard Michael’s voice and froze, not knowing whether or not walking out there would make things better or worse.

_ “Your _ fiancé?! Try again, asshat! Get the fuck off my property, before I force you off.” Dean took a step forward, practically begging him to make a move.

Michael rose up to his full height and peered around Dean. “Castiel! I know you can hear me. This is your last chance to come home to a real man, take it or leave it.” He stepped inside, pushing Dean out of his way.

Dean shoved Michael against the door and threw a solid right hook to the jaw, laughing as he crumbled to the floor in a daze. Michael tried to get back up and fight, but Dean grabbed him by his shirt, dragging him towards the sidewalk. “Told you to fuck off!”

Cas had heard yelling and made it around the corner just as Dean had swung, and after a split second of shock and panic, he realized it was the hottest thing he’d ever seen. He followed them out quickly as Dean literally threw Michael nearly onto the street and caught up in time to grab Dean’s arm. “Hey, he’s done. He’s done, just...”  _ Holy shit that was hot! _ “Just come back inside.”

“Seriously, Castiel?” Michael pushed himself to his feet and dusted off his suit, then rubbed his jaw. “He’s an animal. How could you ever choose him over me?”

“Yeah, sure. I’m an animal, but you’re a little bitch. Walk away before you embarrass yourself even more.” Dean was staring daggers at Michael, if he tried to even touch Cas, he wasn’t sure what he’d do.

He wrapped his arms around Dean and didn’t bother answering, he had nothing to say to Michael anymore. “Maybe we should move.”

There was a glint in Michael’s eye and for a moment, it looked like Dean was going to find out what he’d do if Michael went after Cas, but he simply clenched his fists at his sides. “Castiel. That’s enough, come on.”

The desire to be done with Michael once and for all was insane. Cas turned slightly to look at him without an ounce of love in his eyes. “We’re finished, Michael. I expected you to handle this with a little more dignity, but I see I was mistaken. Leave, and if you come back, we’ll be pressing charges.”

Dean took another step forward and Cas clung to him, begging him not to. It was the only thing that could pull him out if it. “What he said.” 

Michael looked appalled.  _ “You _ press charges?! The grunt hit me!”

“You tried to push your way into  _ our  _ fucking house! Self defense. Leave, or this  _ grunt _ will break your face. I won’t hold back next time.”

For a brief moment, Cas actually wanted it. He wanted to see Dean beat the hell out of Michael, both to shut him up and also because the raw aggression was beyond arousing. But the restraint he was showing was equally impressive, so Cas planted a quick, chaste kiss to his neck. 

Indignation coursed through Michael’s veins and he nearly engaged further, but he had a reputation to uphold and a career at stake. He wouldn’t ruin it for some slut, there would always be another. He spat at the ground in front of him and turned on his heel, nursing the elbow he’d landed on and walking back to his car without another word.

As he sped off, Cas let out a breath. “Thank you, Dean. I don’t know where any of that is coming from, he was never that... volatile when we were together.”

“Sorry I hit him. I never get that angry anymore, but the thought of him walking in and making you uncomfortable in any way...” he trailed off, his hands tightening at his sides.

Cas smiled and kissed him, loving the protectiveness that didn’t come from a place of possession like it did with Michael. Everything was so different with Dean, it was like Cas was being shown how things  _ should _ be. “Don’t apologize, but I should warn you... I’m even more turned on now than I was before he showed up. We need to go back inside before I ride you right here in the yard.”

Dean looked at him in shock and pulled him into his arms. “You know I like the sound of that.” They made their way inside and Dean barely had time to click the lock before Cas was on him.

He dropped to his knees and pressed Dean against the door, his hands fumbling with Dean’s belt until he managed to pull those tight jeans down far enough to get to his prize. Dean’s boner was basically gone, but that suited Cas just fine - he’d learned a while ago that he loved feeling Dean harden in his mouth. He sucked slowly at first, flicking his eyes up to Dean’s.

“Damn baby... love your mouth.” He reached to grab his hair and noticed his knuckles were bleeding. “I’d punch someone every day if I knew it did this to you.”

Cas pulled off long enough to shimmy his sweatpants down, his cock bouncing as it was set free. He glanced up, licking his lips. “I fell in love with you to begin with for punching someone, Dean. Why would this be any different? Now pull my damn hair.” He dove back in, his eyes fluttering closed at the tug on his scalp as he sucked Dean in deeper, sliding his tongue along the shaft and slowly stroking himself.

Dean grinned and then ran his tongue across his lips. Cas had a point, but this felt too good to think about that. “God, you’re so perfect.”

The taste of precome had Cas bucking into his own fist as he swallowed Dean down, fighting the reflex to gag to keep him firmly buried in his throat. He stilled, inviting Dean without words to move.

Dean started sliding in and out, groaning each time he felt the back of Cas’ throat, and his hips sped up the closer he got. Dean had fully intended on fucking Cas earlier but he was not going to complain about this.

The more intense it got, the faster Cas got to his tipping point. Dean’s hand had an iron grip in his hair and he  _ loved  _ the control, loved the way Dean was shoving his cock deep into his throat and forcing him to open past his limits. He spilled onto the floor between Dean’s feet, the muscles in his throat contracting around that long, thick, beautiful length. 

“Cas!” Dean grunted and released, his legs shaking as he held Cas’ head and watched his throat move as he swallowed it all. 

It took a second after pulling off for Cas to trust himself enough to speak. His throat was raw and throbbing from the abuse it had just taken and his eyes were watery, but he finally felt like some of the edge of desperation had been softened. Not all of it, to be sure, but enough that he could wait a little bit for anything else. He stood, taking Dean’s bloody hand in his own and kissing his knuckles. “I love you, all of you, not just the gentle parts.” 

Dean pulled him in for a kiss. “I’ll clean this up, you get dressed for Sam’s. We gotta get the witch... I mean, ghost.”

“There isn’t much of a difference, I’m quite sure if she could figure out the mechanics of it, she’d still be a witch even in death.” He smiled and dropped Dean’s hand, then hurried to go get dressed. 

~~~~

They tried not to laugh as Sam recounted the bizarre things that had happened to him during his time with Rowena. Faucets turning on and off, cupboards slamming, his underwear being strewn all over the house while he was at work. 

Rowena had smiled smugly from behind him as he recounted strange noises that sounded like giggles when he’d been in the shower, and from the blush on his cheeks, they knew exactly what he’d been doing in there. 

Part of Cas wished they could just leave her there, because welcoming those shenanigans back into their lives sounded exhausting, but Dean looked so proud of Rowena that Cas couldn’t bring himself to tell him no.

After all, was it really a ‘haunting’ if they invited it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How about that punch? 😏 
> 
> Last chapter will be up tomorrow!


	10. The End Of All Things

Wedding planning the first time around had been horrific. Cas didn’t get to choose any part of it and all of his ideas had been shot down, because Michael believed he knew best. But with Dean, not only was Cas heard and his viewpoints taken into consideration, Dean practically begged him to make the decisions sometimes. 

Part of him was glad for it, and the other wished Dean would at least say  _ something _ he wanted; it was his wedding, too. There was one thing Cas knew beyond a doubt Dean would want a say in, so he made sure he booked their pie-tasting appointment at a time Dean would be available. 

They’d already technically tasted the pies from that particular bakery, but Cas knew Dean would never pass up an opportunity to taste-test as many of the things as he could, so when Dean got home from work - Cas surprised him.

“Come on, we need to go somewhere.”

“Can I shower?” Dean looked down at his dirty clothes. “Just gimme five minutes.” He kissed him and ran to the bathroom to quickly shower and get dressed.

It took about ten minutes, not five, but Dean was running out in a red button up and some dark wash jeans. “Better?”

He nodded and planted another kiss to Dean’s lips, his stomach fluttering at how amazing Dean looked when he dressed up like that. “I prefer you dirty, but yes. You look incredible. And, I bet you’ll look even better when you’re eating pie.” 

Dean was adorable as the words sunk in and his eyes widened. “That’s tonight! Shit, Cas, you shoulda said. I’d have skipped the shower for some pie.”

“I know, which is why I didn’t tell you. I’m the only one that gets you when you’re all sweaty, I don’t care. Patience was flirting with you last time and you’re mine now.” Cas tugged him along back out to Baby and they got in, heading toward the bakery. 

It was gorgeous out, and they drove with the windows down and music up. It was freedom, and not for the first time, Cas realized how truly, insanely lucky he was. 

“What’re you starin’ at?” Dean glanced over and blushed at the deeply love struck look on Cas’ face.

He shook his head slightly but nothing about his expression changed. “I’m just... happy, Dean.”

The corner of Dean’s mouth twitched in a relieved smile. “Yeah, me too.” He laced their fingers together and continued to drive, singing every song that came on the radio to Cas at the top of his lungs.

When they pulled into the bakery, he pulled Cas into one more kiss. “Now, remember... there’s no such thing as too much pie. You got that?”

Cas rolled his eyes playfully. “Yes, Dean. No cake whatsoever, and we’re ordering enough pie to feed an army. Luckily for you, I’ve nearly finished my latest novel - I have a feeling we’re going to need the advance just to cover the desserts for this affair.”

“Yep.” Dean clicked his tongue as they got out, then opened the door for Cas. 

Patience greeted them inside but squinted slightly. “Hey, I know you guys.”

“Hello, Patience. Yes, it’s been a little while, but we’ve been here before... just under different circumstances.” Cas took his seat across from her and held Dean’s hand, feeling much better this time around.

She glanced at their hands and attempted to keep her face neutral. “That’s new. If I remember correctly, this was your best friend.” It was pretty obvious she remembered Dean, and was disappointed in the turn of events. 

Cas eyed them both and gripped Dean’s hand a little tighter. “We came to our senses.”

“He’s still my best friend, and so much more.” Dean kissed his hand and glanced up at her. “Now we gotta make sure you still got it. Wow me, Patience.” He grinned innocently.

Patience nodded at them, her face still etched with disappointment. She was decidedly less warm this time as she served them the samples she created and waited for the verdict.

Dean still moaned with practically every single bite and asked for seconds on the apple because he ‘forgot what that one tasted like’ even though it was only two samples earlier.

She gave him another sample and smiled slyly, like she thought maybe she’d win him over with pie. 

“This is delicious, Patience. I’m sure the guests at  _ our _ wedding will love these.” Cas stared her down, sliding his hand down Dean’s thigh.

Dean bit back a laugh at Cas’ possessive gesture and leaned his leg in more. “They sure will, baby.” He leaned in and kissed Cas, accidentally putting some apple filling on his lip. With a smile, Dean leaned back in and licked it off.

Something settled in Cas and he smiled smugly, rubbing his nose against Dean’s for a moment before turning a triumphant look back to Patience. “If that’s all, I think we’ll take the rest to go, please.”

“Of course.” She nodded and turned to go grab some boxes. Dean grinned over at Cas and decided to go a little further. “I saved just enough space in my stomach to suck you off, handsome.”

Cas blushed, but it felt  _ good. _ “Can you at least wait until we get to the car, or should we see if this place has a bathroom? Maybe they have stalls...”

Dean’s eyes widened and his bowed legs clenched together. “Meet me there.” He stood up abruptly and walked towards the bathroom but was instantly disappointed in its lack of stalls.  _ Damn bakery only has a private bathroom! _

“Patience... we’ll be... back.” He stood and followed Dean to the bathroom, wondering how the hell the logistics were going to work out but when he got in there, he shared Dean’s disappointment. “Oh. I’m sorry, Dean.”

“S’okay love. Next time.” He kissed Cas and then walked back towards their pies. “I’ll blow you in Baby.”

Cas shivered, thinking that was a pretty damn good compromise.

~~~~

Dean had fucked up his damn bowtie at least five times before Sam was pulling him in to fix it. “Thank’s Sammy. Damn hands are shakin’.”

“You’ll be fine, Dean. It’s Cas, okay? You guys have been in love since the dawn of time, regardless of all the years you spent being idiots.” Sam smiled reassuringly, fixing the sides of Dean’s tux. 

Dean nodded with a grin. “I honestly don’t know how I convinced him to marry me, Sam. We need to wrap this up before he gets wise and leaves me.” He adjusted his crotch like the gentleman he is and slapped Sam’s shoulder. “Better not embarrass me with that speech.” 

Cas stood in a different room, wiggling because he’d made an extremely inappropriate decision that morning. He was sweating, partly due to  _ that  _ and partly because he was about to marry the most gorgeous man on the planet. Charlie eyed him and lightly tapped his cheek. “Breathe. It’ll be over before you know it.”

“I hear what you’re saying, but it won’t be over soon enough. I… did a really stupid thing.” He winced and spread his legs a little, but it didn’t help. “The things we do for love.” 

“What’s up your butt?” Charlie joked and then her eyes widened at Cas’ face. “No way! Shut up! Man... Dean’s a lucky guy.” She poked his ribs.

He grimaced, grabbing the handkerchief from his pocket to wipe his forehead. “I hope the ceremony is quick. Are we ready? Can we go now? Is it time?”

Charlie laughed and checked the time. “I think so. Ready to go see your man?” She beamed. “I’m so, so happy for you!”

“Thank you. You can show me how happy you are by distracting everyone once we’re done, so I can... deal with this.” He licked his lips and took a deep breath, then headed out of the room and toward the doors leading into the chapel. 

The nervousness racing through his veins calmed quickly the second the doors opened and he saw Dean. 

Everything was going to be fine.

~~~~

The ceremony was mercifully short, they said their piece and they only cried a little bit as they exchanged their vows, but after the kiss that sealed the deal, Cas was bursting out of his skin. He pulled Dean into a hug and whispered in his ear, “Meet me in the bathroom on the other side of the chapel.”

Dean was caught off guard but had a very good feeling about that request. He was stopped about four times before he finally slipped away - thanks to Charlie starting a conversation with Cas’ mom. 

“Cas?” Dean whispered as he opened the bathroom door.

There were three stalls in the bathroom, and Cas was in the middle one with the door locked. He didn’t answer Dean, knowing half of Dean’s fantasy was the anonymity involved. He dropped his dress pants to the floor and let out a low moan, reaching behind him to work the plug in his ass.

Dean instantly locked the bathroom door and walked over to the middle stall. He tried to open it, and then quickly caught on, slipping into the other stall and working on his slacks. Dean was fully hard by the time he pulled them down and slid a foot under to tap Cas’.  _ C’mon baby... tap my foot back… _

He did, knowing that was all Dean needed to confirm it was him. Cas stroked himself and pulled the small bottle of lube he’d kept in his pocket and dropped it on the floor, nudging it over to him. He considered taking the plug out, or at least telling Dean he was already prepped, but knew Dean would find out on his own soon enough and grinned to himself at what his face would probably look like when he discovered it as he lowered himself down to a squatting position. 

Dean dropped down to his knees and grabbed the bottle of lube. He reached under to tease Cas’ tight hole and felt the plug, letting out a groan much too loud for a church. He pulled it out, faster than he should have, and shoved in two fingers.

Cas gasped quietly and maneuvered onto his knees, rocking back on those thick, incredible fingers. He’d chosen a plug big enough that he wouldn’t need too much prep, but he was also banking on this turning Dean on enough that they wouldn’t be gone forever.

Dean added another for about thirty seconds before pulling them out and lining up. He helped guide Cas down on his cock. It took everything not to talk to his husband. He groaned and started moving,  _ C’mon angel... bounce on it. _ Dean thought to himself, his lip between his teeth.

He’d seen at least a dozen different videos that prompted this fantasy and knew exactly what Dean was after, and even if he hadn’t, it would’ve been instinct anyway. Cas bounced, breathy little moans punching from his chest each time his husband’s cock bottomed out inside of him. It took a moment with the awkward wall between them, but Cas always knew how to get what he wanted from Dean’s length and he found a good angle soon enough. 

Cas fumbled his hand over the ground until his fingers clasped around the lube bottle and he quickly squirted some into his palm. He normally didn’t need it to jack off, but he wanted Dean to hear exactly how fucking turned on he was without having to say it and ruin the illusion. The sound of him furiously stroking himself echoed wetly around the bathroom, overshadowed only when someone knocked on the door. Cas didn’t stop though, he only groaned a little louder than he should and fucked himself on that beautiful cock a little faster.

Dean laid his forehead against the wall, with a groan. Cas was bouncing so perfectly on his cock he hardly heard the damn knock. He was already close, just the idea of this fantasy always had Dean coming faster than normal but actually acting it out had him panting and teetering the edge.  _ Fuck!  _ “Baby, ima come!” He reached under and grabbed Cas’ hips, slamming deep inside of him as he filled up his tight, perfect hole.

That was more than enough to send Cas over the edge, he’d never get over what Dean manhandling him really did for him. He grunted and lifted his shirt quickly, angling his cock so he was coming all over his stomach instead of the floor. He shuddered when he was done, realizing what a mess he was on both ends - but the thought made him smile. “God, I love you.”

“Love you so fucking much! Wanna kiss you, baby.” Dean slid out with a whimper and grabbed some toilet paper to help clean Cas up. When he stood up and walked out of the stall, his dress shirt was so wrinkled in the front, he had to laugh. “Just don’t get mad at my shirt. Need some help?”

Cas stood on shaky legs and unlocked the door, blushing but smiling as Dean opened it and took in the sight of him half naked, flushed, and covered in his own come. “If you want me to be presentable to our guests anytime soon, then yes. I think I need some assistance.”

“God, you’re beautiful.” Before anything, Dean pulled him in for a messy kiss. “Thank you.” He leaned down and started licking up Cas’ stomach.

He twitched, whining quietly as Dean’s tongue cleaned him up. Cas felt a little bit like he was going to hell for the whole sodomy-in-a-church thing, but most of him knew it was worth it. He pulled Dean up and kissed him again, backing him out of the stall and against the concrete wall. “That was my wedding present to you, and yours to me will be a dance at our reception.”

“Damn dance.” He kissed Cas again. “You got it, baby. Ready to go get a drink?”

Cas nodded quickly, wiping himself down with a wet paper towel and doing his best to fix his clothing. He ran a hand over Dean’s shirt to try and smooth the wrinkles and then braced himself, staring at the door. “Do you think whoever knocked is still out there?”

“I don’t care, we’re married. We can fuck where we want. Isn’t that a law now?” He grinned and yanked open the door, running straight into Benny and his wife. “Lookin’ for some privacy?” He winked at his friend.

Benny flicked his eyes between them and made a face. “We were, but not if you two lovebirds just made a mess in there.” 

Cas beamed, leaning over to kiss Dean’s cheek. “The mess was mostly on me, don’t worry about it.”

“I licked it all up, it’s fine.” Dean shrugged shamelessly, pulling Cas down the hallway before they could respond.

He giggled, staring at the wedding ring on his hand. “Time to get drunk?”

“Hell yeah!” Dean led the way to the open bar and got them some scotch. “Member babe? Great scotch!” They clinked their glasses together and shot them back.

On and on it went, they toasted to just about every inside joke they’d ever had, until Sam finally came over to break up the party. 

“Uh... Dean? What’s with the creepy picture of the redhead?”

“Your mom’s a creepy redhead.” Dean stumbled towards the photo and grabbed her. “Dance with me Row.” He spun her around and started dancing with her against his chest.

Sam stared, completely confused. “Cas?”

If it wasn’t so entirely adorable, and so entirely  _ Dean, _ Cas might’ve been concerned. He shook his head, a permanently dopey smile on his face. “She’s... special to us, don’t worry about it. He’s not insane... not really.”

“Sammy. You gotta take ‘er home for us and we’ll get ‘er after the honeymoon.” He handed the photo to Sam and pulled Cas in. 

Sam cleared his throat. “Um... why would I do that? It’s creepy.”

His hair flipped up in the back and Dean giggled. “Don’t call her that.”

Cas curled against Dean and wrapped his arms around his neck, his mind pleasantly fuzzy from all the scotch. “Just do it, Sam. She won’t hurt you. Probably.” He swayed, resting his head on Dean’s shoulder and closing his eyes.

“Is this...” He stopped himself, because that would be crazy... right? “You’re lucky you’re so damn drunk. We are  _ not  _ done talking about this.” Sam walked away, still holding the photo.

“I promised her she could come to the wedding, but she doesn’t know she can’t come on the honeymoon.”

Rowena stamped on Dean’s foot, indignant that he didn’t even have the courtesy to tell her she wasn’t allowed to tag along. “Rude!”

“Shhh,” Cas said, reaching a hand out in the air to try and touch her. “Be quiet, I’m trying to dance with my husband.”

“I’m not staying behind like a bloody pup!” Rowena hissed at them.

“We need some privacy Row. You get to play with Sam again. What are you complaining about? We could leave you in a storage unit... or here? Is that better?” Dean challenged.

Cas frowned, starting to get annoyed that his dance was being interrupted by an argument with someone that wasn’t even alive. His ass was sore, and moving at all was uncomfortable - he just wanted to finally dance with Dean and go home.

“I didn’t sign up to be pawned off on other people! You said you’d take me places, not dump me off!”

Dean pulled Cas to the opposite side of the venue that Sam went, hoping to get too far away from the photo for her to fuck with them. “Sorry, baby. I didn’t know she was listening when I brought that up, I thought she went with Sam.” They stumbled together, still looking adorable.

He kissed Dean as the music slowed down and tried to put Rowena from his mind. He’d made it, regardless of ghosts or jealous exes or anything else life had thrown at them - he’d finally married his best friend. “It’s okay, just dance with me before my legs decide they’ve had enough.”

Dean wrapped his arms around him, holding some of his weight. “I’ve got you. I’ll always have you, Cas.” He pressed their foreheads together, feeling so fucking happy a tear slid down his cheek. “Fuck... I love you.”

“I love you, Dean. I’m sorry it took us so long to get here.” He kissed him again as they started to finally dance, and Cas feared his heart was going to swell and burst right out of his chest. 

“M’sorry. It’s my fault. I wanted you for so long and never spoke up. It was dumb.” He glanced around at all their family and friends with a smile. “But here we are.”

Cas nodded, dropping his head back to Dean’s shoulder where it belonged. Cas’ parents smiled at them and Sam was off in the corner, still staring at the picture of Rowena. He briefly wondered if Benny and Andrea ever came back out of the bathroom and huffed a laugh, thinking of all the sex that poor church had probably seen over the years. “We’re lucky, you know that? At least we were still young when we admitted it. We’ve got time, Dean.”

“We got forever. You’re stuck with me now.” He kissed the side of Cas’ head. “Sorry I couldn’t do another plane. But the drive isn’t too bad... right?”  _ Shit is like a million hours... not too bad, my ass. _

He shook his head, pressing his lips repeatedly to Dean’s face. “Shh. Don’t apologize. I don’t mind the drive and I don’t want you to ever have to do another thing you’re not comfortable with. It’ll be an adventure, and there will be absolutely no one around to tell me I can’t give you road head or touch you or kiss you or anything else I wanted to do but couldn’t on our way to Vegas.”

Dean perked up and cleared his throat. “Go back a little... road head, eh?” He wiggled his eyebrows. “You think about that sometimes?”

“I thought about it nearly that entire drive, even with your brother in the front seat.” Cas was embarrassed to even think about how many times he’d imagined sucking Dean off before they got together, and not just in that car, but everywhere. It was enough to make him wonder if he had an oral fixation, specifically regarding Dean. “And, I‘ve thought about it nearly every time we’ve been in that car together since.”

Dean was grinning ear to ear. “Well, I’m on board. Any time, any place. I’ve jacked off in there, thinking of you suckin’ me off. You give the best head, Cas. I try to be as good as you... but that’s impossible.”

A sly smile spread across his lips and he pulled back, holding both of Dean’s hands. “You just have to want it as bad as I do, and that’s just not possible.” He looked around at the people still dancing near them and sighed. “Do you think they’d be angry if we left without saying goodbye? I want to feed you pie and then take a nap.”

“Fuck these people. I like pie way more than most of them.” He pulled at Cas’ hand and led him towards the exit. 

At the last minute, he decided to just say bye to everyone at once. Dean let go of Cas’ hand, ran back for the microphone and jumped on a table. “Uh... is this on? Woah... that’s loud.” People laughed and he cleared his throat. “My husband is tired, so you’re all welcome to stay and party, but, we’re leavin’. This is a blanket goodbye for you all... so... no hugs. Winchester-Novak, out.” He mic dropped and hopped off the table without another glance back.

They probably didn’t sleep as much as either of them needed to, but they were newlyweds. They would take any and every opportunity to be together in the ways denied to them for years, and it was a near miracle when they managed to get out of bed the next day to actually leave for their honeymoon. 

They’d chosen a beach on the east coast since Dean wasn’t a fan of planes, and the drive was... long. Cas wasted almost no time before following through with his road head promise, and then did it again a hundred miles later. 

By the time they pulled into their hotel, they desperately needed showers and Cas had staunchly refused to get off before arriving. Check-in was easy, and the term ‘honeymoon suite’ was used more than once, making them both smile like idiots until they were finally inside their room with the door shut tight and their luggage strewn on the floor.

Dean being Dean, he swooped Cas up in his arms and bridal-carried him to the bed. It wasn’t the most graceful gesture, but it was still romantic. He tossed Cas on the bed and pulled at his pants. “My turn.”

Cas’ attempted to argue, but Dean swallowed him down all too soon. He hissed, having been hard for hours and edging himself on purpose twice, Cas was already racing toward the finish line. He’d hoped not to come until Dean was buried deep inside of him, but the words to tell Dean that just wouldn’t come out. Cas moaned, writhing below him and bucking his hips, driving his swollen, needy cock into Dean’s mouth. 

Dean absolutely wanted to fuck Cas, but didn’t want to take the time to open him up and Cas was so generous on the drive there, the poor guy deserved to get off. Dean flicked his tongue under Cas’ cock and slid him down with a hum. He could feel how close Cas was, and couldn’t wait to taste his husband’s release.

He didn’t have to wait long, Cas was convinced he’d never felt anything as good as Dean’s tongue and was coming quickly, staring with eyes that would never adjust to how stupidly, insanely hot Dean looked like that. He was boneless and wrecked within seconds, and they were both tired enough from the almost endless drive that they fell asleep curled against each other almost instantly. 

The next morning went more or less the same, with them absolutely insatiable for each other. Room service made two deliveries to them before they finally managed to get dressed and drag themselves from the hotel room and out to the beach.

Dean made them both put on copious amounts of sunblock and ordered them ‘honeymoon’ drinks. He didn’t even specify, he just said, “Some fruity shit with umbrellas,” making the bartender laugh and ask about them. Dean was proud - as always - to call Cas his husband.

The drinks continued to flow and Cas became impossibly happier, still having a hard time believing this was his life. He reached out to grip Dean’s hand and smiled softly, bringing them up to his lips to kiss the back of Dean’s. “I love you.”

“I love you,” he responded as he leaned in for a real kiss. “This feels like a dream... you feel like a dream.”

He wasn’t sure truer words had ever been spoken, but Cas had pinched himself enough times in the past few months to know that they were very much awake, and sometimes… reality was just  _ this _ good. 

“Gonna have to let Row pay Michael a visit when we get home. She’d have a  _ wee bit o’ fun there, eh?”  _ Dean chuckled at Cas’ eye roll and leaned over to kiss his cheek.

He couldn’t help but laugh at Dean’s horrible accent but it did sound like an intriguing idea. “Better him than me.”

The sun was beginning to set over the ocean, casting brilliant, colorful light that bounced right off the water. Dean watched the sand run between his lifted toes and held Cas’ hand a little tighter, smiling to himself at the fact that it took a stripper and a ghost to get them together - but at least they were together in the end. “Y’know, Cas… you’re turnin’ me into a nerd.”

“Oh?” Cas cocked a grin, memorizing the way the fading light accentuated Dean’s features. “Why do you say that?” 

He pulled his bottom lip between his teeth and let out a soft chuckle. “Cause I’m over here thinkin’, ‘I’m glad to be with you, Samwise Gamgee. Here, at the end of all things.’ And that’s absolutely your fault, we both know I’m no hobbit.”

Cas could think of at least  _ one  _ thing his husband had in common with the fictional race, but that wasn’t important. “While I always appreciate a good Lord of the Rings reference, you’re wrong, Dean.” He paused, breathing out a satisfied, happy sigh. “Something tells me this is only the beginning.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! This fic has done better than I ever imagined it would and I don’t know why I was even surprised you were all good with the voyeuristic ghost but here we are. You guys are awesome.


End file.
